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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. board — a committee
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. court — of law
  9. bulb — for light
  10. board — to get on
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cold — an illness
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. track — a song
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wound — an injury

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