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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. content — the amount
  3. bound — certain
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bound — tied together
  6. content — happy
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chip — to eat
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. hand — help
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rest — a break
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rest — what's left
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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