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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: cabinet · tube · foot · rock · wind · content · rule · kid

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rule — government
  6. kid — child
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. content — the amount
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rule — a law
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rock — music
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. kid — to tease
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. tube — a container
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. content — happy
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cabinet — ministers

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