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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. content — happy
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. content — the amount
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. toast — bread
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. kid — to tease
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cue — for pool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pound — a weight

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