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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cell — a phone
  5. board — to get on
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. tube — a container
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. mark — a trace
  23. board — a committee
  24. tube — the underground

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