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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. content — happy
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. kid — child
  10. lie — to recline
  11. tube — the underground
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rock — music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — a container
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. kick — in football
  23. rock — a stone
  24. kick — with a leg

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