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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kid — to tease
  5. content — happy
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. dip — to sink
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. bass — the fish
  13. content — the amount
  14. kid — child
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ball — a dance
  17. field — for sport
  18. bass — low music

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