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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bass — low music
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. key — the most important part
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rush — hurry
  11. row — to paddle
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. board — to get on
  14. net — in sport
  15. key — for a lock
  16. row — a line
  17. tube — a container
  18. kick — in football
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. key — in music
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. bass — the fish

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