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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pop — music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fall — the season
  8. rash — a series
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pop — soda
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — part of the body

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