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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — in golf
  14. tube — a container
  15. swing — music
  16. lie — to recline
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bulb — for light

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