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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rock — music
  3. object — to protest
  4. rock — a stone
  5. board — to get on
  6. roll — a cake
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. snap — to click
  10. rush — hurry
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. object — a thing
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cold — not warm
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. object — an aim
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. roll — a list
  24. board — a committee

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