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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. dip — to sink
  3. spring — a coil
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. board — to get on
  8. date — the fruit
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. field — a subject
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spring — of water
  14. tube — a container
  15. board — a committee
  16. field — farmland
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cue — for pool
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. spring — the season
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cue — a signal
  23. field — for sport
  24. dip — a sauce

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