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

Word bank: tube · file · pit · chest · board · stand · cabinet · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pit — in a race
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. file — a tool
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. tube — a container
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. file — a document
  15. tube — the underground
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. board — a committee
  19. pit — a hole
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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