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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. board — a committee
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. board — to get on
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. squash — to crush
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bulb — for light
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. squash — the vegetable

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