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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · bulb · land · arm · lie · pitcher · bat · present

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. land — to come down
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. board — a committee
  14. land — ground
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. present — a gift
  19. board — to get on
  20. land — a country
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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