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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. staff — employees
  3. bulb — for light
  4. roll — a list
  5. present — the time now
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bulb — for light
  9. present — a gift
  10. pass — a permit
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cold — an illness
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. present — there
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. roll — a cake
  21. board — to get on
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. vault — a safe
  24. staff — employees

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