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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. shower — to wash
  3. court — for sport
  4. cell — in biology
  5. shower — rain
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. court — of law
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chip — for betting
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. court — of a king
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bulb — of a plant

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