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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. land — ground
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bound — obliged
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bound — tied together
  10. board — to get on
  11. face — to confront
  12. land — to come down
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bound — certain
  15. snap — to click
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. face — to point toward
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bulb — for light
  20. face — part of the head
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. land — a country
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. board — a committee

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