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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bulb — for light
  3. board — to get on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. race — a contest
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mate — a friend
  13. row — to paddle
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. row — a line
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bulb — for light
  20. race — humankind
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mine — an explosive

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