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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. last — finally
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cue — for pool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cue — a signal
  15. last — final
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. hand — help
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. last — to go on
  23. chip — for betting
  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