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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. drill — the tool
  3. board — to get on
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. board — a committee
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. drill — army training
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. kid — child

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