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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · rock · chair · board · wind · game · cell · tube

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ball — a great time
  4. game — a match
  5. tube — a container
  6. board — a committee
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rock — music
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. board — to get on
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ball — a dance
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cell — a phone

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