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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mark — a trace
  3. last — to go on
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — final
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cell — in biology
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. last — finally
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — rain
  19. cell — a phone
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lean — to bend

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