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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. kid — child
  5. chip — to eat
  6. face — to point toward
  7. clip — a video
  8. face — to confront
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. ball — a dance
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. can — a tin
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chip — for betting
  23. face — part of the head
  24. clip — for paper

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