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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. can — to be able to
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — the underground
  6. can — a tin
  7. kid — to tease
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. kid — child
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stock — shares
  16. tube — a container
  17. wake — a trail
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stock — goods
  20. club — a group
  21. hand — help
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — for golf
  24. board — to get on

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