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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — the amount
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. race — a contest
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. board — to get on
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. board — a committee
  24. row — a quarrel

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