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

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bear — the animal
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. charge — a price
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. file — a tool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. board — to get on
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tube — the underground
  14. charge — in control
  15. board — a committee
  16. file — a document
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. file — a line of people

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