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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: swing · date · saw · fine · hand · toast · content · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fine — high quality
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. toast — bread
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. swing — to play on
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. content — the amount
  11. tube — a container
  12. fine — all right
  13. date — the fruit
  14. hand — in cards
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tube — the underground
  17. saw — the tool
  18. swing — music
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. content — happy
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hand — help

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