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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. charge — in control
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. charge — a price
  7. kid — child
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. charge — electricity
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. kid — to tease
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. dip — a sauce
  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