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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — in football
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. craft — boats
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. clip — to cut
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mark — a trace
  10. clip — for paper
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. content — the amount
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. content — happy
  15. rest — a break
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. clip — a video

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