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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: cabinet · pitch · sharp · last · club · kid · content · rash

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitch — completely
  3. club — for dancing
  4. kid — child
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. rash — a series
  8. kid — to tease
  9. content — the amount
  10. club — a group
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. content — happy
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. club — for golf
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rash — hasty
  24. last — finally

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