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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wind — moving air
  3. field — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pit — a hole
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bound — certain
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. field — farmland
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. board — to get on
  19. bound — obliged
  20. field — a subject
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. board — a committee
  24. pit — in a race

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