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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: chest · fall · mug · wound · pop · chip · content · toast

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. toast — bread
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chest — a box
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chip — to eat
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mug — a face
  19. pop — soda
  20. mug — to rob
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. content — the amount
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. fall — the season

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