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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wound — an injury
  3. suit — to fit
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rock — music
  8. suit — in cards
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — a container
  14. cold — an illness
  15. board — a committee
  16. rock — a stone
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lie — to recline
  21. board — to get on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cold — the Cold War

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