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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chip — for betting
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. kid — to tease
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wake — a trail
  19. kid — child
  20. face — to confront
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mug — a face
  24. row — a line

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