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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 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mate — a partner
  4. kid — to tease
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stock — shares
  7. ground — a position
  8. mate — to breed
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — crushed
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. content — happy
  13. stock — goods
  14. mate — a friend
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. kid — child
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. vault — a safe
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. staff — employees
  23. ground — the earth
  24. content — the amount

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