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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. tube — the underground
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bulb — for light
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. sharp — clever
  12. swing — music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tube — a container
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. swing — in golf
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chip — for betting

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