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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bound — obliged
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spell — magic
  8. track — a song
  9. swing — music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. spell — letters
  12. board — to get on
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bound — certain
  17. board — a committee
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. tube — a container
  21. spell — a short time
  22. track — a path
  23. swing — in golf
  24. nail — for a hammer

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