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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lie — to recline
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. content — the amount
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fine — all right
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cue — a signal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chip — in a computer

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