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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. roll — a list
  3. club — for dancing
  4. board — to get on
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cold — an illness
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. board — a committee
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cold — not warm
  14. roll — a cake
  15. saw — the tool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tube — a container
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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