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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. object — to protest
  3. net — after costs
  4. board — to get on
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. net — in sport
  7. cap — a hat
  8. tube — a container
  9. club — a group
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. net — for catching
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. object — an aim
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cap — a lid
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. object — a thing
  20. cap — of ice
  21. foot — a measure
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. club — for golf

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