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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — tied together
  6. hand — help
  7. board — to get on
  8. bound — certain
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chest — a box
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cell — a phone
  24. patient — a sick person

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