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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bound — tied together
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bulb — for light
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. track — a path
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chip — for betting
  12. track — a song
  13. clip — a video
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bound — certain
  16. last — finally
  17. clip — for paper
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bound — obliged
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bore — to tire
  22. chip — to eat
  23. scale — in music
  24. bulb — of a plant

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