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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. land — to come down
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — ground
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pit — in a race
  8. swing — music
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pit — a hole
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wax — to grow
  15. land — a country
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rock — a stone
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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