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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. march — music
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rest — what's left
  6. march — the month
  7. board — a committee
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. scale — in music
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. scale — size or range
  23. game — a match
  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