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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. staff — employees
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tube — the underground
  6. staff — a stick
  7. band — a ring
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. board — a committee
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — employees
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. march — the month
  17. board — to get on
  18. bat — the animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stand — to bear
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. racket — for tennis

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