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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. court — for sport
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rock — music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. content — happy
  10. court — of a king
  11. dip — to sink
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — the amount
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. court — of law
  21. kid — child
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. nail — on a finger

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