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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 120 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: face · tube · sharp · content · dip · bear · kick · pop

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. face — to confront
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. content — the amount
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. dip — to sink
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pop — to visit
  24. dip — to dunk

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