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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 124 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pop — music
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chip — for betting
  6. drill — the tool
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. scale — size or range
  9. drill — army training
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — soda
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. scale — in music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bear — the animal
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bear — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pop — to visit

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