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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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 — in a tire
  2. content — the amount
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. land — a country
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. land — ground
  10. tube — the underground
  11. land — to come down
  12. lie — to recline
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. content — happy
  17. tube — a container
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. board — to get on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. board — a flat piece
  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