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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bulb — for light
  3. craft — boats
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. ground — a position
  7. swing — in golf
  8. board — to get on
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — for light
  11. board — a committee
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. ground — crushed
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. board — a flat piece

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