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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. bulb — for light
  2. cold — an illness
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cold — not warm
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. chip — for betting
  23. present — a gift
  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