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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bulb — for light
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mine — for digging
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ball — a dance
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pass — a permit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ball — a round shape

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