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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. file — a document
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bulb — for light
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kick — in football
  16. march — the month
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. file — a tool
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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