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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rash — a series
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. ball — a great time
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — for digging
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mine — an explosive

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