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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. present — there
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chip — for betting
  7. spring — of water
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. key — the most important part
  10. present — the time now
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chip — to eat
  15. present — a gift
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. key — for a lock
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. spring — the season
  22. snap — to click
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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