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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. board — to get on
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chest — of your body
  11. board — a committee
  12. hand — help
  13. club — for golf
  14. chest — a box
  15. suit — to fit
  16. club — for dancing
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. suit — in cards
  19. club — a group
  20. shower — rain
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — to wash
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mouse — for a computer

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