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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · board · wound · jam · chair · tube · rush · sharp

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. tube — a container
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. board — to get on
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. sharp — clever
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chair — a leader
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rush — a thrill
  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