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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. board — a committee
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. squash — the sport
  8. object — to protest
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. face — to point toward
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pit — a hole
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. object — a thing
  19. face — to confront
  20. tube — the underground
  21. board — to get on
  22. squash — to crush
  23. object — an aim
  24. pit — in a race

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