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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: content · rest · present · tube · clip · pitch · temple · stick

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rest — a break
  7. content — the amount
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. present — there
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. clip — a video
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. tube — a container
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — the underground
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rest — what's left
  21. present — the time now
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitch — completely
  24. content — happy

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