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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bulb — for light
  6. degree — from a university
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hand — in cards
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. clip — a video
  12. hand — help
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. clip — to cut
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. perch — the fish
  24. clip — for paper

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