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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 116 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 it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chip — to eat
  4. tube — the underground
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. club — for golf
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bulb — for light
  10. club — a group
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bulb — for light
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. tube — a container
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chip — for betting
  20. ground — the earth
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. ground — a position
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cabinet — ministers

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