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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tear — from crying
  4. content — the amount
  5. tube — a container
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. board — a committee
  8. content — happy
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bound — certain
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fork — in a road
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. shower — rain
  22. board — to get on
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fork — a garden tool

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