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

Word bank: kick · tube · root · cap · court · file · content · key

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cap — a hat
  4. file — a tool
  5. root — the cause
  6. cap — of ice
  7. key — for a lock
  8. kick — in football
  9. tube — the underground
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cap — a lid
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — in music
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. court — for sport
  23. key — the most important part
  24. root — of a plant

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