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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tube — a container
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chip — for betting
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. dip — to sink
  9. content — happy
  10. tube — the underground
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. chip — to eat
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. season — in sport
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. season — of the year
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. face — to confront
  23. content — the amount
  24. face — to point toward

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