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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 116 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mine — for digging
  3. face — part of the head
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. tube — a container
  6. content — happy
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. object — an aim
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fall — to drop
  15. object — a thing
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stand — to bear
  18. content — the amount
  19. face — to confront
  20. perch — the fish
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. object — to protest
  24. stand — on your feet

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