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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: deal · key · pit · wind · board · sharp · trunk · tube

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. tube — a container
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wind — moving air
  5. key — for a lock
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pit — a hole
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. tube — the underground
  13. board — a committee
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. key — in music
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. board — to get on
  24. sharp — clever

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