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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. tube — a container
  3. board — to get on
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cell — in biology
  8. march — the month
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. march — the month
  13. board — a committee
  14. hand — in cards
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — help
  17. cell — a phone
  18. vault — a safe
  19. march — music
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. hand — part of the body
  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