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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. suit — in cards
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kid — to tease
  10. content — happy
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. suit — to fit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wake — a trail
  18. suit — clothes
  19. kid — child
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. saw — the tool

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