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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.

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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spell — letters
  6. squash — the sport
  7. clip — a video
  8. hand — in cards
  9. clip — to cut
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. spell — magic
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. foot — a measure
  20. board — to get on
  21. hand — help
  22. spell — a short time
  23. clip — for paper
  24. foot — the bottom

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