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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. content — happy
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. march — the month
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pound — a weight
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. march — the month
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. march — music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. safe — out of danger

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