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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. content — the amount
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. kid — to tease
  10. game — a match
  11. track — to keep track
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. track — a path
  17. ball — a dance
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. track — a song
  20. row — a line
  21. content — happy
  22. kick — in football
  23. kid — child
  24. ball — a great time

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