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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · present · date · rash · tube · content · sharp · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rash — hasty
  3. present — the time now
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. date — the fruit
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. tube — the underground
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. present — a gift
  16. tube — a container
  17. game — wild animals
  18. present — there
  19. game — a match
  20. cap — a hat
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rash — a series

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