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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. bound — certain
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rush — hurry
  7. object — an aim
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. scale — in music
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. object — a thing
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. object — to protest
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. kid — child
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. field — farmland

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