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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bass — low music
  4. content — the amount
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. march — the month
  8. kick — in football
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. march — music
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. march — the month
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tube — a container
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. chip — to eat
  20. game — wild animals
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. game — a match
  23. chip — for betting
  24. tube — the underground

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