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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: rule · mouse · mark · content · dip · kid · tube · bay

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. kid — child
  5. rule — government
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. kid — to tease
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rule — a law
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. tube — a container
  17. content — the amount
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mouse — the animal

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