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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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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: pitcher · content · arm · deal · rash · roll · clip · kid

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. roll — a list
  5. content — happy
  6. kid — to tease
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. kid — child
  9. roll — a cake
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. deal — to handle
  12. content — the amount
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. clip — a video
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. clip — to cut
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — a series
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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