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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ball — a great time
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. chip — for betting
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. game — wild animals
  14. chip — to eat
  15. game — a match
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. hand — help
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cap — a hat
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pitch — completely

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