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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. squash — the sport
  4. hand — help
  5. bear — the animal
  6. dip — to sink
  7. present — a gift
  8. bear — the animal
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. content — happy
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. present — there
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — the amount
  24. present — the time now

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