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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chip — to eat
  6. board — to get on
  7. chest — a box
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. board — a committee
  20. band — a ring
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. band — a music group
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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