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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 120 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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. board — to get on
  5. land — ground
  6. staff — employees
  7. tube — a container
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. land — a country
  10. lean — to bend
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cell — a phone
  13. march — the month
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. board — a committee
  17. land — to come down
  18. lean — thin
  19. march — music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. staff — employees
  22. march — the month
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lean — to rest against

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