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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. board — to get on
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cap — a hat
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mug — a face
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cap — of ice
  11. board — a committee
  12. drill — army training
  13. bulb — for light
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bear — the animal
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. tear — from crying

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