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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: bass · pound · content · mine · cap · chip · cell · rash

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cap — a lid
  8. content — the amount
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bass — low music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bass — the fish
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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