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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · bulb · row · game · chip · lash · band · rest

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. game — a match
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. chip — to eat
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. band — a ring
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a music group
  13. row — a line
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chip — for betting
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bulb — for light
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — to paddle

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