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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bound — certain
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rash — a series
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wake — a trail
  11. court — of a king
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rash — hasty
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. row — a line
  21. bound — obliged
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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