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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. rest — what's left
  4. content — the amount
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stock — shares
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stock — goods
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ball — a great time
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. content — happy
  16. rest — a break
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bat — the animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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