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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tube — a container
  4. bear — the animal
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. file — a document
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a tool
  22. pass — a permit
  23. chest — a box
  24. pound — for dogs

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