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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. board — to get on
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spring — of water
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bulb — for light
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. board — a committee
  23. spring — the season
  24. perch — for a bird

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