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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: plane · game · kid · sharp · board · bulb · content · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wind — moving air
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. game — a match
  9. kid — child
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. content — the amount
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. content — happy
  17. board — to get on
  18. kid — to tease
  19. board — a committee
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bulb — for light
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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