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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. club — a group
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. last — to go on
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. tube — the underground
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. last — final
  12. chest — a box
  13. tube — a container
  14. root — of a plant
  15. club — for golf
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. last — finally
  18. bass — low music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bowl — a dish

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