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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bank — for money
  4. content — happy
  5. kid — child
  6. content — the amount
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kid — to tease
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chair — a leader
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bank — for money
  23. snap — to click
  24. bank — of a river

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