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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bulb — for light
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bound — certain
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bulb — for light
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bound — obliged
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. can — to be able to
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. charge — a price
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. charge — in control
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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