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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tube — the underground
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. content — happy
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. content — the amount
  8. march — music
  9. season — in sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — the month
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. lie — to recline
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. squash — to crush
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. season — of the year
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. tube — a container
  24. march — the month

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