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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. can — a tin
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. can — a tin
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mug — to rob
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mug — a face
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cold — not warm
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chip — to eat
  18. deal — to handle
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bulb — for light
  24. capital — a city

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