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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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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: staff · tube · mine · foot · charge · race · board · hand

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. charge — a price
  3. staff — employees
  4. board — to get on
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. hand — help
  10. foot — a measure
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — for digging
  15. race — the arms race
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. race — a contest
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. race — humankind
  22. board — a committee
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. staff — a stick

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