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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · chip · file · content · degree · scale · bear · fine

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. bear — the animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. kick — in football
  6. file — a line of people
  7. scale — in music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. content — happy
  14. bear — the animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chip — for betting
  17. content — the amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fine — high quality
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fine — all right
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. scale — for weighing

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