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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kick — in football
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. land — ground
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. board — a committee
  10. hand — help
  11. land — to come down
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. tube — the underground
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cell — in biology
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tube — a container
  20. hand — in cards
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. board — to get on
  24. cell — a phone

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