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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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. board — a flat piece
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. board — a committee
  6. march — music
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mark — a grade
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. march — the month
  14. tear — to rip
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. tear — from crying
  19. dip — to sink
  20. snap — to click
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wake — a trail

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