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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bulb — for light
  5. current — happening now
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. board — to get on
  15. current — electric
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. current — of water
  24. cabinet — ministers

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