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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. tube — a container
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. last — final
  13. board — to get on
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. board — a committee
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. hand — help
  20. last — finally
  21. bulb — for light
  22. last — to go on
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. hand — in cards

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