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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. plane — a tool
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hand — help
  9. content — happy
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bass — the fish
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kid — child
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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