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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — ground
  6. bound — certain
  7. land — to come down
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wax — to grow
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. board — to get on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. land — a country
  24. wax — in the ear

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