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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bulb — for light
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. row — a line
  6. spell — letters
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wax — to grow
  13. net — after costs
  14. cue — a hint
  15. net — in sport
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chip — for betting
  20. row — to paddle
  21. spell — magic
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cue — a signal
  24. net — for catching

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