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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rest — a break
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. content — the amount
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kid — child
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fork — in a road
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. content — happy
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cue — a signal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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