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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. deal — to handle
  10. content — the amount
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. content — happy
  14. kid — child
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. root — the cause
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cold — an illness
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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