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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. tube — a container
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. board — to get on
  9. last — final
  10. ball — a great time
  11. tube — the underground
  12. last — to go on
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — finally
  15. spring — a coil
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — to bear
  20. swing — music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. swing — to play on
  23. board — a committee
  24. swing — in golf

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