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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. board — to get on
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. content — happy
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fall — the season
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. content — the amount
  17. tube — a container
  18. content — videos and posts

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