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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: content · chair · pitcher · rest · firm · kid · spell · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rest — what's left
  3. can — a tin
  4. firm — a company
  5. kid — to tease
  6. can — to be able to
  7. spell — magic
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. firm — decided
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. firm — steady
  14. content — the amount
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kid — child
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. content — happy
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rest — a break
  24. spell — letters

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