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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. kid — to tease
  3. content — the amount
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. chip — for betting
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. chip — to eat
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. kid — child
  24. lie — an untruth

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