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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. date — the fruit
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. cell — a phone
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bulb — for light
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. row — a line
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. leaves — of a tree

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