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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — happening now
  4. file — a document
  5. club — a group
  6. chip — for betting
  7. file — a tool
  8. net — after costs
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. net — in sport
  14. club — for golf
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — electric
  20. net — for catching
  21. chip — to eat
  22. file — a line of people
  23. current — of water
  24. sharp — exactly

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