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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — in music
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cold — not warm
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. net — in sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. tube — a container
  15. board — to get on
  16. ball — a dance
  17. board — a committee
  18. net — after costs
  19. tube — the underground
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cold — an illness
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. tube — in a tire

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