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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. race — humankind
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. club — for golf
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — a contest
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. race — the arms race
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bulb — for light
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mine — for digging
  22. face — to confront
  23. cue — a signal
  24. chip — to eat

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