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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ground — crushed
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chest — of your body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. present — there
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ground — a position
  23. foot — a measure
  24. present — the time now

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