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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chip — to eat
  3. content — happy
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. date — the fruit
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. dip — to sink
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. content — the amount
  15. chip — for betting
  16. fine — high quality
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — a face
  21. fine — all right
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mug — to rob

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