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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. chip — to eat
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cell — in biology
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. content — the amount
  11. saw — the tool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bound — certain
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. chip — for betting
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. pound — a weight
  22. saw — the tool
  23. land — a country
  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