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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. dip — to sink
  13. content — happy
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chest — a box
  17. content — the amount
  18. club — a group
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. club — for golf
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rock — 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