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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. spell — a short time
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tube — the underground
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. drill — a practice
  11. content — the amount
  12. tube — a container
  13. content — happy
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. spell — letters
  17. sharp — clever
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mark — a trace
  23. spell — magic
  24. mark — a grade

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