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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rock — music
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — ground
  8. track — a song
  9. land — a country
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. track — a path
  19. rock — a stone
  20. land — to come down
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mouse — the animal

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