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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. board — a committee
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bat — the animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. deal — to handle
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. tube — a container
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hand — help
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. tube — the underground
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. game — a match
  24. bat — in an idiom

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