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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. swing — in golf
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cell — a phone
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. current — of water
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. current — electric
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. swing — music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — happening now
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lean — thin
  22. net — in sport
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chip — to eat

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