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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bulb — for light
  3. race — humankind
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chest — a box
  7. net — for catching
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. race — a contest
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. race — the arms race
  14. net — after costs
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cap — of ice
  19. spring — the season
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spring — of water
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chip — for betting
  24. net — in sport

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