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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · chest · game · net · root · ball · fine · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fine — high quality
  4. net — in sport
  5. ball — a great time
  6. game — wild animals
  7. net — after costs
  8. root — of a word
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. net — for catching
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. chest — of your body
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bulb — for light
  19. root — the cause
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. game — a match
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chip — to eat

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