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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. chip — for betting
  4. hand — help
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cue — a signal
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chip — to eat
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. capital — money
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — happy
  21. capital — a city
  22. cue — a hint
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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