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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. track — to keep track
  7. root — the cause
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. root — of a plant
  10. net — for catching
  11. chip — to eat
  12. track — a song
  13. tear — from crying
  14. vault — a safe
  15. net — after costs
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. tear — to rip
  21. track — a path
  22. tear — from crying
  23. net — in sport
  24. bat — the animal

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