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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. land — a country
  3. board — a committee
  4. tube — a container
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. land — to come down
  9. pit — a hole
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. board — to get on
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rash — a series
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wax — to grow
  23. land — ground
  24. fork — a garden tool

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