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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 116 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: bear · race · trunk · content · saw · kid · deal · fine

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. content — the amount
  3. kid — to tease
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — happy
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kid — child
  9. fine — high quality
  10. race — the arms race
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fine — all right
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. race — a contest
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bear — the animal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. race — humankind
  22. saw — the tool
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. saw — the tool

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