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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a document
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. court — of law
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chip — for betting
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stock — goods
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stock — shares
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. court — of a king
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. court — for sport
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. file — a 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