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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.

Make a worksheet

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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bass — low music
  3. mug — a face
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. kick — in football
  6. mug — to rob
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tube — the underground
  9. date — the fruit
  10. net — for catching
  11. content — the amount
  12. mug — a cup
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. present — there
  16. tube — a container
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. content — happy
  19. present — the time now
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — in sport
  22. present — a gift
  23. bass — the fish
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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