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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bulb — for light
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. charge — in control
  9. spring — of water
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. race — humankind
  14. chip — to eat
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. spring — a coil
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. vault — a safe
  19. chip — for betting
  20. spring — the season
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. race — a contest
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chip — in a computer

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