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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: drill · stock · mate · content · hand · chip · fine · kid

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chip — to eat
  4. kid — child
  5. drill — army training
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fine — high quality
  12. content — happy
  13. mate — to breed
  14. content — the amount
  15. drill — the tool
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fine — all right
  24. hand — part of the body

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