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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 120 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rash — a series
  5. content — the amount
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. court — for sport
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. content — happy
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. ball — a dance
  18. court — of law
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. court — of a king
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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