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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 120 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: staff · object · bat · cabinet · content · hide · kid · track

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. track — to keep track
  3. object — an aim
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — a thing
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — to tease
  9. staff — a stick
  10. track — a path
  11. staff — employees
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. content — happy
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. content — the amount
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bat — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. object — to protest
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. track — a song
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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