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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. row — a line
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mine — for digging
  11. root — of a plant
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. march — the month
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chip — for betting
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. march — the month
  19. root — the cause
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. root — of a word
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. capital — money
  24. march — music

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