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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. chip — to eat
  3. content — the amount
  4. chip — for betting
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. branch — a division
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lean — to bend
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fine — all right
  19. content — happy
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lean — thin
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cold — an illness

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