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

Word bank: chip · stick · roll · pitcher · kid · content · arm · toast

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. content — the amount
  6. kid — to tease
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. toast — bread
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. content — happy
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chip — to eat
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. kid — child
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chip — for betting

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