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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — after costs
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. present — the time now
  7. band — a ring
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. net — in sport
  10. present — a gift
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. band — a music group
  15. mine — for digging
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. net — for catching
  19. scale — in music
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. present — there
  24. chip — to eat

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