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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bank — for money
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. drill — the tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lie — to recline
  12. content — the amount
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. drill — a practice
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bank — for money
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. drill — army training
  24. content — happy

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