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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. club — for dancing
  3. game — a match
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. present — there
  6. squash — to crush
  7. club — for golf
  8. game — wild animals
  9. content — happy
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. present — the time now
  15. club — a group
  16. row — a line
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. content — the amount
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. squash — the sport
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. row — to paddle

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