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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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Word bank
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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: bulb · season · sharp · game · clip · fan · pop · chip

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — of the year
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pop — soda
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. season — in sport
  14. chip — to eat
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. clip — for paper
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. clip — a video
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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