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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 116 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. net — in sport
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. race — a contest
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a dance
  9. field — for sport
  10. race — humankind
  11. tube — the underground
  12. race — the arms race
  13. saw — the tool
  14. net — after costs
  15. board — to get on
  16. net — for catching
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. field — farmland
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ball — a great time
  23. board — a committee
  24. rush — a thrill

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