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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rest — what's left
  9. content — the amount
  10. kid — child
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bank — for money
  16. tear — from crying
  17. net — for catching
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cue — a signal
  20. content — happy
  21. rest — a break
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bank — for money
  24. rest — what's left

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