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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. season — of the year
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. board — to get on
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tube — a container
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cell — in biology
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cue — a signal
  20. band — a music group
  21. tube — the underground
  22. band — a ring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. board — a committee

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