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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · spring · game · snap · temple · chip · net · wave

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. net — for catching
  3. chip — for betting
  4. snap — to click
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chip — to eat
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. spring — of water
  14. content — the amount
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spring — the season
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. content — happy
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. net — in sport
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. net — after costs
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com