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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 120 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. chip — to eat
  3. kid — child
  4. march — music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. march — the month
  11. chip — for betting
  12. kid — to tease
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bulb — for light
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for 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