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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. content — the amount
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pitch — completely
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. content — happy
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — farmland
  24. pitch — a sports field

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