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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: tube · toast · net · bore · key · kid · content · hand

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. net — after costs
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. hand — help
  7. content — the amount
  8. key — the most important part
  9. content — happy
  10. kid — child
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. tube — a container
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kid — to tease
  20. key — for a lock
  21. tube — the underground
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. key — in music
  24. bore — to tire

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