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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mate — a friend
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bulb — for light
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. chest — of your body
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. track — a song
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. track — a path
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stand — to bear
  23. chest — a box
  24. row — a quarrel

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