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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. content — the amount
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rash — a series
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. march — music
  9. board — to get on
  10. content — happy
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. tube — a container
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. board — a committee
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. object — a thing
  24. nail — on a finger

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