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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. content — happy
  8. prune — to trim
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — in sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. season — of the year
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. net — after costs
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. net — for catching
  23. tube — the underground
  24. prune — the fruit

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