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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bass — low music
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chip — for betting
  11. key — in music
  12. spring — the season
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. spring — of water
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. tube — a container
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chip — to eat
  23. key — for a lock
  24. chip — in a computer

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