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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 120 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. content — the amount
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — happy
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fine — all right
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mug — to rob
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mug — a face
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. vault — a safe
  14. prune — to trim
  15. degree — an amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. degree — from a university
  18. chip — for betting
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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