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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. tube — a container
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tube — the underground
  11. race — the arms race
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. board — to get on
  16. race — a contest
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. board — a committee
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. can — to be able to
  21. race — humankind
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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