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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ground — a position
  7. board — a committee
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — a company
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. press — to push
  14. ground — the earth
  15. press — newspapers
  16. ground — crushed
  17. date — the fruit
  18. firm — steady
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cold — an illness
  23. press — a publisher
  24. firm — decided

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