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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kick — in football
  5. tube — a container
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pass — a permit
  8. scale — in music
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. content — the amount
  15. firm — decided
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. scale — size or range
  19. content — happy
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. firm — steady
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. content — videos and posts

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