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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kid — to tease
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — a series
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. net — in sport
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. suit — clothes
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. suit — to fit
  15. net — after costs
  16. suit — in cards
  17. kid — child
  18. content — the amount
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — happy
  21. net — for catching
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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