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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. content — the amount
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fine — high quality
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — for betting
  16. shower — rain
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pop — soda
  19. fine — all right
  20. pop — music
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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