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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. content — happy
  7. face — part of the head
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. content — the amount
  10. face — to point toward
  11. swing — to play on
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. face — to confront
  16. land — to come down
  17. firm — steady
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. swing — music
  21. land — ground
  22. fork — in a road
  23. swing — in golf
  24. land — a country

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