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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spring — the season
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mate — a friend
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chip — to eat
  14. spring — of water
  15. kid — child
  16. bulb — for light
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bass — low music
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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