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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spell — a short time
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. board — a committee
  6. spell — letters
  7. cold — an illness
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. spring — of water
  11. charge — a price
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bulb — for light
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. club — for dancing
  16. charge — electricity
  17. club — a group
  18. bulb — for light
  19. board — to get on
  20. charge — in control
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. club — for golf
  24. spell — magic

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