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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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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: tube · rush · cabinet · mate · content · kick · stick · bowl

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — the amount
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tube — a container
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. content — happy
  24. rush — a thrill

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