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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spring — the season
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. spring — of water
  6. track — a song
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spring — a coil
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. board — to get on
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. game — a match
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — for digging

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