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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. tube — a container
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. tube — the underground
  6. board — a committee
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mug — a face
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. march — music
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a ring
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mug — a cup
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. band — a music group
  24. shower — rain

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