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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. chip — to eat
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bass — low music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bulb — for light

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