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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: game · last · fine · bulb · board · wind · club · content

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wind — moving air
  4. club — for dancing
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fine — all right
  7. last — final
  8. club — a group
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fine — high quality
  11. club — for golf
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — the amount
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. board — a committee
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wind — moving air
  20. content — happy
  21. game — a match
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. last — finally
  24. board — to get on

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