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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 116 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: rush · content · mate · ball · kick · face · tube · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. content — happy
  6. pop — soda
  7. ball — a dance
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rush — hurry
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pop — music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. face — to point toward
  20. content — the amount
  21. kick — in football
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rush — to hurry

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