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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chest — a box
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chest — of your body
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cue — for pool
  15. content — happy
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. shower — rain
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cue — a signal
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kid — child
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cue — a hint

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