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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 120 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. board — to get on
  3. rush — hurry
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. degree — temperature
  7. season — in sport
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. degree — an amount
  10. club — for golf
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. tube — a container
  13. club — for dancing
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. season — of the year
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tube — the underground
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — happy
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. club — a group
  23. content — the amount
  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