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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. board — a committee
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. row — to paddle
  17. key — in music
  18. row — a line
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. key — for a lock
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — a jug

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