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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · stand · chip · dip · cabinet · game · spring · mate

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. game — a match
  10. spring — a coil
  11. content — happy
  12. dip — to sink
  13. spring — of water
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stand — to bear
  16. chip — for betting
  17. spring — the season
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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