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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 · sharp · wave · suit · land · cell · bulb · cold

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. land — a country
  2. suit — clothes
  3. chip — for betting
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — an illness
  6. land — ground
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. land — to come down
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in biology
  20. suit — in cards
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cell — in a prison
  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