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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. field — a subject
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. game — a match
  7. field — for sport
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. board — a committee
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. board — to get on
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pass — a permit
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cold — the Cold War

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