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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cap — a lid
  4. content — the amount
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kid — child
  10. cap — of ice
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rest — a break
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. content — happy
  17. rest — what's left
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fall — the season
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rest — what's left
  24. safe — a strongbox

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