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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. track — a song
  5. board — a committee
  6. tube — the underground
  7. track — a path
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stock — shares
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cold — not warm
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cold — an illness
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stock — goods
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. trunk — of a tree

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