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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. chip — for betting
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. can — a tin
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. march — music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mine — for digging
  18. march — the month
  19. foot — a measure
  20. hand — help
  21. can — a tin
  22. chip — to eat
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — in 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