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

Word bank: ruler · bound · kid · pass · fork · bulb · cold · board

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. kid — child
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cold — an illness
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pass — a permit
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bound — obliged
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. board — to get on
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bound — certain
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. board — a committee
  24. bulb — for light

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