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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mug — a face
  5. drill — army training
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mug — a cup
  8. ball — a great time
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mug — to rob
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lean — thin
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hand — help
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lean — to bend
  22. ball — a dance
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. drill — the tool

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