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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ground — a position
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bulb — for light
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rule — government
  9. clip — a video
  10. bulb — for light
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rule — a law
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. ground — the earth
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. ground — crushed

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