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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 124 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. land — a country
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tube — a container
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. land — ground
  12. clip — for paper
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. land — to come down
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. sharp — clever
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. deal — to handle
  22. clip — a video
  23. tube — the underground
  24. sharp — exactly

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