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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bass — the fish
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bore — to drill
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bass — low music
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. content — happy
  16. kid — child
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. content — the amount
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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