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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. last — to go on
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chip — for betting
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rest — a break
  8. race — a contest
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cue — a signal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chip — to eat
  14. last — final
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rest — what's left
  17. race — humankind
  18. bear — the animal
  19. content — the amount
  20. last — finally
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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