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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. firm — a company
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kick — in football
  11. firm — steady
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mate — to breed
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — child
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mate — a partner
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. mate — a friend
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. firm — decided

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