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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chip — to eat
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — happy
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. net — for catching
  8. mine — for digging
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mug — to rob
  20. chip — for betting
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mug — a face

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