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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. last — final
  4. lie — to recline
  5. last — finally
  6. bulb — for light
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — to go on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. degree — from a university
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. key — in music
  14. shower — rain
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. key — the most important part
  18. degree — temperature
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tube — the underground
  24. chip — for betting

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