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

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. game — wild animals
  3. present — the time now
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — happy
  6. game — a match
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. key — in music
  13. present — a gift
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. key — for a lock
  19. present — there
  20. content — the amount
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — in sport
  24. key — the most important part

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