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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. present — the time now
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chest — a box
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. present — there
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chest — of your body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. present — a gift
  23. chip — in a computer
  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