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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fall — the season
  3. court — of law
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fall — to drop
  11. court — of a king
  12. board — to get on
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bulb — for light
  17. court — for sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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