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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. file — a tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — army training
  6. dip — to sink
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. tube — the underground
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. drill — the tool
  11. file — a document
  12. board — a committee
  13. present — a gift
  14. drill — a practice
  15. present — the time now
  16. bass — low music
  17. board — to get on
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. file — a line of people
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bass — the fish
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. present — there

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