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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. content — the amount
  4. chip — for betting
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. hand — in cards
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. content — happy
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. court — of law
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hand — help
  14. court — of a king
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bore — to drill
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. court — for sport

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