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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. spell — a short time
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. content — happy
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. deal — to handle
  17. content — the amount
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. spell — letters
  20. swing — music
  21. spell — magic
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. content — videos and posts

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