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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. content — the amount
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. board — to get on
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bulb — for light
  11. scale — in music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. wind — moving air
  22. content — happy
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. band — a music group

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