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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pass — a permit
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. land — a country
  10. chip — for betting
  11. land — ground
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. land — to come down
  15. season — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. season — of the year
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chip — to eat

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