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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. board — to get on
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. spring — of water
  5. track — a path
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tube — a container
  9. spring — the season
  10. board — a committee
  11. band — a ring
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. band — a music group
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. track — a song
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. kick — in football

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