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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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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 · key · mine · bat · game · pop

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. board — to get on
  5. pop — music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. land — a country
  12. board — a committee
  13. pop — to visit
  14. land — to come down
  15. key — in music
  16. pop — soda
  17. bulb — for light
  18. key — for a lock
  19. game — a match
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. land — ground

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