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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: rush · deal · tube · sharp · content · season · court · board

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. tube — a container
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tube — the underground
  5. sharp — clever
  6. board — a committee
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. board — to get on
  9. content — the amount
  10. court — of law
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. court — of a king
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. season — in sport
  18. content — happy
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. court — for sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. deal — an agreement

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