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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. board — to get on
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. board — a committee
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mug — a face
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mug — a cup

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