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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. foot — a measure
  3. chip — for betting
  4. charge — in control
  5. drill — army training
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. charge — a price
  10. degree — temperature
  11. drill — a practice
  12. charge — electricity
  13. drill — the tool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cell — a phone
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cell — in biology

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