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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — to tease
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. ball — a great time
  14. dip — to sink
  15. content — the amount
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tube — a container
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — the underground

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