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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chest — a box
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rush — hurry
  5. foot — a measure
  6. press — a publisher
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. board — to get on
  14. key — in music
  15. press — to push
  16. board — a committee
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bulb — for light
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — the tool

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