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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. file — a document
  5. board — a committee
  6. pitch — completely
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. tube — the underground
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mate — a friend
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. file — a tool
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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