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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. net — in sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. net — after costs
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mate — to breed
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mate — a friend
  12. scale — in music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tube — a container
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fall — the season
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. scale — size or range
  22. net — for catching
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fan — a supporter

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