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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. content — the amount
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pit — in a race
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. clip — a video
  15. content — happy
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mine — for digging
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mine — belonging to me

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