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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pop — music
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. file — a document
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hand — help
  19. pop — soda
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bulb — for light
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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