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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. content — happy
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. spell — magic
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cue — a hint
  17. content — the amount
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. kid — child
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. vault — a safe
  22. ball — a dance
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. spell — letters

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