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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · game · cabinet · tube · march · content · calf · net

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — happy
  7. net — after costs
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. march — the month
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. march — the month
  18. content — the amount
  19. tube — the underground
  20. net — in sport
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. game — a match
  23. net — for catching
  24. march — music

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