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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. board — a committee
  3. charge — in control
  4. board — to get on
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. mark — a trace
  7. tube — a container
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spring — a coil
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. file — a document
  15. spring — the season
  16. charge — electricity
  17. snap — to click
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spring — of water
  20. tube — the underground
  21. file — a tool
  22. mark — a grade
  23. charge — a price
  24. file — a line of people

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