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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 116 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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — a country
  3. game — wild animals
  4. land — to come down
  5. court — for sport
  6. object — an aim
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pop — music
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. tube — a container
  13. pop — soda
  14. court — of law
  15. rush — hurry
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. game — a match
  20. court — of a king
  21. object — a thing
  22. land — ground
  23. tube — the underground
  24. object — to protest

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