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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spring — of water
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mine — for digging
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. track — a path
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. roll — a list
  19. track — a song
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rush — hurry
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. board — to get on

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