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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 had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. kid — child
  5. stand — to bear
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — to tease
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — shares
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spell — magic
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stock — goods
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. spell — letters
  21. can — to be able to
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. content — the amount

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