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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. drill — the tool
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. kid — to tease
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bass — low music
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. content — the amount
  14. drill — army training
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tube — a container
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — happy
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bass — the fish
  22. season — in sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. tube — the underground

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