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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stock — shares
  3. kid — child
  4. content — the amount
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spell — a short time
  11. hand — help
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — goods
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rock — music
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rock — a stone
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kid — to tease

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