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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. face — part of the head
  3. content — happy
  4. dip — to sink
  5. tube — the underground
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. tube — a container
  10. content — the amount
  11. suit — to fit
  12. face — to confront
  13. suit — clothes
  14. face — to point toward
  15. key — in music
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. suit — in cards
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cell — in biology
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. key — for a lock

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