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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cap — of ice
  5. chip — to eat
  6. land — to come down
  7. lean — thin
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. land — a country
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fine — high quality
  18. chip — for betting
  19. land — ground
  20. net — for catching
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lean — to bend
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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