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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. present — the time now
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. band — a music group
  15. present — there
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. content — happy
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. present — a gift
  20. capital — a city
  21. kick — in football
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. band — a ring
  24. cell — in a prison

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