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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. band — a ring
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fall — to drop
  5. band — a music group
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fall — the season
  8. board — to get on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cue — for pool
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. current — happening now
  15. tube — a container
  16. current — electric
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cue — a signal
  21. current — of water
  22. cue — a hint
  23. board — a committee
  24. arm — part of the body

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