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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chip — for betting
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. ground — crushed
  8. present — there
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ground — the earth
  20. snap — to click
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ground — a position
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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