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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. content — happy
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rush — hurry
  16. tube — the underground
  17. content — the amount
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tube — a container
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. coach — a trainer

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