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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. land — to come down
  8. rash — a series
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. land — a country
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fine — all right
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. tube — a container
  20. squash — to crush
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. board — a committee

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