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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bulb — for light
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chip — to eat
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ground — crushed
  15. march — the month
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. march — the month
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mate — a friend

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