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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. current — of water
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fine — all right
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cell — a phone
  13. board — a committee
  14. tube — a container
  15. current — happening now
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. current — electric
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. lie — an untruth

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