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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chip — for betting
  10. spell — a short time
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spell — magic
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — letters
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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