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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. board — a committee
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cold — an illness
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pass — a permit
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. land — ground
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. land — to come down
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cell — a phone
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. land — a country
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — to go away

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