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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. staff — employees
  4. spell — letters
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bulb — for light
  8. staff — a stick
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — magic
  12. staff — employees
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — a lid
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. spell — a short time
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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