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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. net — for catching
  3. chip — to eat
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. content — happy
  7. net — in sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fine — all right
  10. suit — clothes
  11. wind — moving air
  12. season — of the year
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. capital — money
  15. content — the amount
  16. wind — moving air
  17. net — after costs
  18. suit — in cards
  19. capital — a city
  20. fine — high quality
  21. suit — to fit
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. season — in sport
  24. chip — in a computer

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