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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. last — finally
  6. content — happy
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. last — final
  9. cold — an illness
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pound — a weight
  13. content — the amount
  14. pit — in a race
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bore — to tire
  18. last — to go on
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pound — for dogs

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