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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. march — the month
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wax — to grow
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. march — the month
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. tube — a container
  20. pit — in a race
  21. toast — bread
  22. march — music
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bulb — for light

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