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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 116 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. suit — in cards
  11. file — a tool
  12. capital — money
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. capital — a city
  22. row — a line
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mug — to rob

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