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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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 · bowl · object · clip · rest · hide · content · date

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — a break
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rest — what's left
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — a container
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. object — an aim
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. content — the amount
  24. date — the fruit

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