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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lean — to bend
  3. content — the amount
  4. suit — in cards
  5. spell — letters
  6. rash — a series
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. lean — thin
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pop — music
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spell — magic
  17. pop — to visit
  18. content — happy
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pop — soda
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — clothes

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