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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — crushed
  15. content — the amount
  16. kick — in football
  17. tube — the underground
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. snap — to click
  22. content — happy
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ground — a position

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