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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. content — the amount
  3. chip — to eat
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. degree — from a university
  10. content — happy
  11. fine — high quality
  12. lie — to recline
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. degree — temperature
  15. snap — to click
  16. fine — all right
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. chip — for betting
  21. shower — rain
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. shower — to wash

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