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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tube — the underground
  4. object — an aim
  5. board — to get on
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bear — the animal
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fine — all right
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tube — a container
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. object — to protest
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. object — a thing
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. kick — in football

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