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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. tube — the underground
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pass — a permit
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. board — to get on
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. game — a match
  13. ball — a great time
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. tube — a container
  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