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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. board — to get on
  10. staff — employees
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. staff — a stick
  21. board — a committee
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. board — a flat piece

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