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

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. chip — to eat
  5. clip — for paper
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mate — to breed
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mate — a friend
  13. chip — for betting
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. clip — a video

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