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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. net — for catching
  4. can — a tin
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — after costs
  7. cap — a hat
  8. clip — a video
  9. content — happy
  10. clip — for paper
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. tube — the underground
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. file — a tool
  18. cap — of ice
  19. net — in sport
  20. file — a line of people
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. file — a document
  24. clip — to cut

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