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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · kick · staff · content · ball · jam · kid · rock

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ball — a great time
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. spring — of water
  5. content — the amount
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. staff — employees
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rock — a stone
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a dance
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. content — happy
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. kid — child
  23. kick — in football
  24. rock — music

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