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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bulb — for light
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rash — a series
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. scale — in music
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. scale — size or range
  19. object — a thing
  20. kick — in football
  21. bat — the animal
  22. object — an aim
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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