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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: ball · chip · bark · staff · content · face · deal · pop

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ball — a great time
  5. face — to confront
  6. pop — music
  7. content — the amount
  8. staff — a stick
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chip — for betting
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bark — to shout
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pop — soda
  15. face — part of the head
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. deal — to handle
  19. content — happy
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. staff — employees
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. chip — to eat

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