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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: rule · board · file · tube · mug · sharp · field · racket

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. tube — a container
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rule — a law
  5. mug — a face
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. sharp — clever
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rule — government
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. board — to get on
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. board — a committee
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mug — a cup
  24. tube — the underground

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