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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kid — to tease
  3. content — happy
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mug — a cup
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mug — to rob
  8. content — the amount
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mug — a face
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. ball — a round shape

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