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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — money
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. board — to get on
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. tube — a container
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. capital — a city
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. swing — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. board — a committee
  19. kick — in football
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. swing — to play on
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — for digging

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