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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. object — an aim
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stock — shares
  9. object — to protest
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. stock — goods
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. object — a thing
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kick — in football

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