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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. content — the amount
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. content — happy
  15. pound — a weight
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rush — hurry
  18. kick — in football
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. kick — a thrill

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