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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: kick · fine · content · jam · bass · wave · tear · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. tear — from crying
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. content — happy
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. tear — to rip
  15. kick — in football
  16. fine — high quality
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. content — the amount
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. fine — all right
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. kick — a thrill

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