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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. key — in music
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. kid — child
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. kid — to tease
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cell — a phone
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stock — shares
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. content — the amount
  18. key — for a lock
  19. hand — help
  20. stock — goods
  21. tube — the underground
  22. content — happy
  23. tube — a container
  24. hand — in cards

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