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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. kid — child
  7. stock — shares
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stock — goods
  11. kid — to tease
  12. shower — rain
  13. cue — a hint
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cue — for pool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rush — hurry
  20. content — the amount
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. content — happy
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. racket — for tennis

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