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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cap — a hat
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. tube — a container
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cap — a lid
  9. content — the amount
  10. chest — a box
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kick — in football
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kick — a thrill

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