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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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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 · chip · cue · tear · club · racket · mug · file

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mug — a cup
  4. content — the amount
  5. tear — to rip
  6. club — for dancing
  7. file — a tool
  8. mug — to rob
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mug — a face
  11. cue — for pool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. file — a document
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. tear — from crying
  16. club — a group
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cue — a signal
  19. content — happy
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cue — a hint
  22. club — for golf
  23. tear — from crying
  24. file — a line of people

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