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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. field — a subject
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. field — farmland
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mug — a face
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. tube — the underground
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. board — to get on
  18. field — for sport
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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