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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ground — crushed
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. tube — a container
  10. spell — letters
  11. ground — the earth
  12. content — the amount
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ground — a position
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. spell — magic
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — happy
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fan — a supporter

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