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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. season — of the year
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cell — a phone
  10. board — a committee
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. board — to get on
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hand — help
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tube — a container
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. season — in sport
  24. pass — a permit

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