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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mug — to rob
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mug — a face
  5. suit — in cards
  6. last — final
  7. mug — a cup
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. tube — a container
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. suit — clothes
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. last — to go on
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. last — finally
  22. suit — to fit
  23. root — the cause
  24. board — a flat piece

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