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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pass — a permit
  6. clip — a video
  7. firm — decided
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tube — the underground
  13. firm — steady
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bat — the animal
  17. firm — a company
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. board — a committee
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. board — to get on
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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