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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. game — a match
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. suit — clothes
  8. fine — high quality
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. content — the amount
  14. fine — all right
  15. wind — moving air
  16. suit — to fit
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. staff — employees
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. suit — in cards
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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