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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. content — happy
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lean — thin
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. row — a line
  15. kid — child
  16. scale — in music
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. deal — to handle
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. lean — to bend

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