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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitch — completely
  5. staff — employees
  6. content — happy
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. hand — help
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. content — the amount
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — in cards
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. staff — a stick
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. kick — in football
  24. tube — a container

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