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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 · rest · bulb · plane · pit · bat · saw · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. bat — the animal
  5. dip — to sink
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rest — a break
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pit — in a race
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bulb — for light
  19. saw — the tool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pit — a hole

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