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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tube — a container
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. board — a committee
  9. rock — music
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chip — for betting
  13. face — part of the head
  14. band — a ring
  15. board — to get on
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — to confront
  19. band — a music group
  20. rock — a stone
  21. face — to point toward
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. nail — for a hammer

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