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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chip — to eat
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. court — of law
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. court — for sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. court — of a king

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