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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mine — for digging
  5. chest — a box
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. chest — of your body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. chip — for betting
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. snap — to click
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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