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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. tear — to rip
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. field — farmland
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. field — for sport
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. field — a subject
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. shower — rain
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. key — in music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. fine — high quality
  20. tear — from crying
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fine — all right
  24. tear — from crying

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