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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hand — in cards
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. hand — help
  15. current — of water
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rush — hurry
  22. drill — a practice
  23. content — the amount
  24. mine — belonging to me

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