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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pop — music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chip — for betting
  8. game — a match
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chip — to eat
  11. key — in music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rush — to hurry

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