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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. staff — a stick
  4. shower — rain
  5. staff — employees
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. kid — child
  8. content — the amount
  9. rush — hurry
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rock — a stone
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rock — music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. squash — to crush
  18. content — happy
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. squash — the sport

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