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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. spring — of water
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spring — a coil
  8. board — a committee
  9. fine — all right
  10. charge — a price
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. board — to get on
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — the season
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. charge — in control

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