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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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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: staff · content · chest · cabinet · snap · tube · stick · kick

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. tube — a container
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kick — in football
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. staff — employees
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. staff — employees
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. staff — a stick
  21. chest — of your body
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — the underground

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