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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. board — to get on
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rule — a law
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rash — a series
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — the underground
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rash — hasty
  19. tube — a container
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rule — government
  22. chest — a box
  23. cold — an illness
  24. board — a flat piece

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