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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. can — a tin
  9. snap — to click
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chip — to eat
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

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