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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. game — wild animals
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. can — a tin
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. chip — for betting
  13. capital — money
  14. game — a match
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. chip — to eat
  20. content — the amount
  21. capital — a city
  22. content — happy
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. can — to be able to

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