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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: club · lash · can · press · snap · content · chip · cold

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cold — an illness
  4. can — a tin
  5. press — newspapers
  6. snap — to click
  7. cold — not warm
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. content — happy
  13. chip — for betting
  14. club — a group
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. press — to push
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. can — a tin
  20. press — a publisher
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lash — to lash out

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