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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. march — the month
  4. ground — crushed
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cap — of ice
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. field — farmland
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tube — a container
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. board — to get on
  17. march — music
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bore — to tire
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. march — the month
  22. field — for sport
  23. ground — a position
  24. field — a subject

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