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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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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. key — for a lock
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pit — in a race
  10. roll — a list
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. key — the most important part
  18. season — in sport
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. key — in music
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pit — a hole
  24. season — of the year

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