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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 120 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. capital — a city
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chip — for betting
  7. board — to get on
  8. ground — a position
  9. can — to be able to
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. board — a committee
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — happy
  15. capital — money
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. ground — the earth
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. content — the amount
  21. ground — crushed
  22. shower — rain
  23. chip — to eat
  24. can — a tin

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