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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ball — a great time
  4. lean — thin
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. content — happy
  13. rest — a break
  14. pop — to visit
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. net — in sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. net — for catching
  22. content — the amount
  23. kid — child
  24. net — after costs

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