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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — a series
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. content — the amount
  8. rest — a break
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chip — for betting
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kid — child
  16. chip — to eat
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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