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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: content · sharp · nail · cabinet · toast · track · kid · rush

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rush — hurry
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. toast — bread
  8. sharp — clever
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. track — to keep track
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. track — a song

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