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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: bound · chip · bass · tube · content · club · dip · cap

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. content — happy
  3. bound — obliged
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bound — certain
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bound — tied together
  13. club — for dancing
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bass — low music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. club — for golf
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. content — the amount
  24. cap — a lid

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