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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 116 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 water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. bulb — of a plant
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. current — of water
  5. cell — in biology
  6. current — electric
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cue — a signal
  18. current — happening now
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cue — a hint
  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