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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. tube — a container
  4. content — the amount
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. game — a match
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. land — to come down
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. tube — the underground
  14. land — a country
  15. snap — to click
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. land — ground
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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