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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — of law
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stock — goods
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stock — shares
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chip — for betting
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rash — a series

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