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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. last — finally
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — child
  7. can — a tin
  8. content — happy
  9. last — final
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. content — the amount
  15. saw — the tool
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chest — a box
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. last — to go on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. can — to be able to
  22. kid — to tease
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — a dish

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