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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fine — high quality
  3. tube — the underground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. board — to get on
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fine — all right
  13. cold — an illness
  14. tube — a container
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. board — a committee
  24. bulb — for light

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