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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pop — soda
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. content — happy
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pop — music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mug — a cup
  14. content — the amount
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mug — a face
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cabinet — ministers

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