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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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. court — of a king
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. court — for sport
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. court — of law
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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