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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. board — to get on
  4. chip — to eat
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. snap — to click
  7. tube — a container
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cell — in biology
  11. board — a committee
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — the underground
  18. capital — money
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. chip — for betting
  21. kid — child
  22. capital — a city
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cell — a phone

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