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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fine — high quality
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rush — hurry
  11. content — happy
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fine — all right
  20. kid — child
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rush — a thrill

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