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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mug — a cup
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rush — hurry
  9. can — to be able to
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mug — a face
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. content — happy
  17. can — a tin
  18. mug — to rob
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. degree — temperature
  23. branch — a division
  24. rush — a thrill

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