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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pop — soda
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. degree — an amount
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. vault — a safe
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. land — to come down
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. land — a country
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. content — happy
  19. degree — temperature
  20. land — ground
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pop — music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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