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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 got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. can — a tin
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kid — child
  7. drill — army training
  8. content — the amount
  9. drill — a practice
  10. shower — rain
  11. vault — a safe
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. can — to be able to
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pit — a hole
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. content — happy
  19. shower — to wash
  20. can — a tin
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rush — a thrill

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