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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. board — a committee
  4. pop — to visit
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pop — soda
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. squash — to crush
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. lie — to recline
  13. board — to get on
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. row — to paddle
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. row — a line

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