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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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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: date · mate · season · kid · cell · chip · bulb · object

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mate — to breed
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bulb — for light
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cell — a phone
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. object — to protest
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. date — the fruit
  20. season — in sport
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mate — a partner
  23. kid — child
  24. chip — for betting

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