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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fine — all right
  5. field — a subject
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — farmland
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stock — shares
  20. content — the amount
  21. field — for sport
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. content — happy

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