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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. dip — to sink
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — to come from
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. content — the amount
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. content — happy
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cabinet — ministers

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