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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. chip — for betting
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mug — a face
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. fine — high quality
  11. shower — rain
  12. mug — to rob
  13. chip — to eat
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mug — a cup
  18. face — to confront
  19. lean — thin
  20. face — to point toward
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. content — the amount
  23. fine — all right
  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