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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. object — to protest
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. squash — to crush
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. tube — a container
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. squash — the sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. clip — a video
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — the underground
  19. object — an aim
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. object — a thing
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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