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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pop — music
  5. pit — a hole
  6. spring — of water
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tube — a container
  9. content — the amount
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bat — the animal
  12. content — happy
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spring — a coil
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — child
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pop — to visit
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pop — soda
  23. spring — the season
  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