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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: cabinet · rush · chest · date · present · content · tube · coach

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. chest — of your body
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chest — a box
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. date — the fruit
  15. present — a gift
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tube — the underground
  19. present — the time now
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. tube — a container
  22. rush — hurry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. present — there

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