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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. club — for golf
  8. perch — the fish
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bulb — for light
  11. land — a country
  12. hand — help
  13. land — ground
  14. chip — to eat
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. land — to come down
  20. chip — for betting
  21. club — a group
  22. sharp — clever
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bulb — for light

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