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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: chip · rest · spell · chest · ground · swing · date · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chest — a box
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ground — a position
  9. bulb — for light
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ground — crushed
  12. date — the fruit
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. swing — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — magic
  17. rest — a break
  18. spell — letters
  19. rest — what's left
  20. swing — to play on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bulb — of a plant

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