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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 116 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. board — to get on
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pit — a hole
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pit — in a race
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. shower — rain
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — for digging
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. board — a committee

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