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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. band — a music group
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tube — a container
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. band — a ring
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. spring — of water
  19. sharp — clever
  20. spring — the season
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tube — the underground
  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