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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. content — happy
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. present — a gift
  5. kid — child
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. present — the time now
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. content — the amount
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. shower — rain
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fine — all right
  21. present — there
  22. fine — high quality
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pound — a weight

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