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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. last — finally
  3. deal — to handle
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — to go on
  8. land — ground
  9. last — final
  10. tube — a container
  11. board — a committee
  12. root — of a word
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. land — to come down
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. land — a country
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — to get on
  24. deal — an agreement

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