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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · content · toast · kid · bay · dip · ground · rest

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. dip — to sink
  5. content — happy
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. net — after costs
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. toast — bread
  16. content — the amount
  17. rest — a break
  18. net — in sport
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. net — for catching
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rest — what's left

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