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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 116 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: game · can · chip · straw · content · prune · dip · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. content — the amount
  4. season — of the year
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. can — a tin
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chip — for betting
  15. dip — to sink
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. content — happy
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. chip — to eat
  20. game — a match
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. game — wild animals

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