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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. present — there
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. roll — a cake
  6. present — the time now
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. content — the amount
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. net — after costs
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. present — a gift
  16. tube — the underground
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. net — for catching
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. net — in sport
  21. roll — a list
  22. kick — in football
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — in a tire

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