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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. firm — steady
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chest — a box
  6. root — of a plant
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. content — the amount
  12. chest — of your body
  13. firm — a company
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. root — the cause
  18. tube — a container
  19. root — of a word
  20. firm — decided
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cell — a phone
  24. calf — of the leg

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