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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. firm — a company
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chip — for betting
  5. firm — decided
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fine — all right
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — certain
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. kid — child
  21. firm — steady
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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