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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mate — to breed
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. vault — a safe
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. saw — the tool
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. chip — to eat
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chip — for betting
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bulb — for light
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chip — in a computer

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