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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. date — the fruit
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. chip — to eat
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chest — a box
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pop — soda
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pop — music
  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