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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 120 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 · squash · mark · track · cap · pound · arm · chip

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. track — to keep track
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cap — a hat
  8. squash — to crush
  9. content — happy
  10. track — a path
  11. content — the amount
  12. cap — a lid
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. track — a song
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mark — a trace
  18. squash — the sport
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pound — for dogs

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