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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. deal — to handle
  3. hand — in cards
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. kid — to tease
  8. tube — a container
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. hand — help
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fork — in a road
  13. kid — child
  14. net — in sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cell — a phone
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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