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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. track — a song
  5. lean — to bend
  6. file — a document
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — letters
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chip — for betting
  12. file — a tool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chip — to eat
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spell — a short time
  18. track — a path
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chest — a box
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spell — magic
  23. lean — thin
  24. bay — a horse colour

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