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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mark — a trace
  5. staff — employees
  6. land — to come down
  7. mate — a partner
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mark — a grade
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wind — moving air
  13. board — to get on
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. land — a country
  17. board — a committee
  18. land — ground
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mate — to breed

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