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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. hand — help
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tube — a container
  4. chest — of your body
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chest — a box
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. content — happy
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. content — the amount
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hand — in cards
  23. jam — in traffic
  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