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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. craft — a skill
  8. key — the most important part
  9. board — a committee
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. chair — a leader
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. key — in music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bulb — for light
  16. degree — an amount
  17. march — music
  18. craft — boats
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. board — to get on
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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