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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chip — to eat
  3. spring — the season
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. staff — a stick
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chip — for betting
  8. shower — to wash
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. shower — rain
  15. content — the amount
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. content — happy
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pitch — completely
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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