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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. charge — a price
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. content — the amount
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. fine — all right
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. squash — the sport
  16. charge — electricity
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. fine — high quality
  19. tube — the underground
  20. chip — for betting
  21. tube — a container
  22. charge — in control
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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