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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. craft — boats
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. tube — a container
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. craft — a skill
  17. key — in music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. key — the most important part
  22. content — the amount
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. chip — for betting

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