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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a hole
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chip — for betting
  12. hand — help
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bass — low music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chip — to eat
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. hand — part of the body

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