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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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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 · temple · race · court · mine · cabinet · chip · chair

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. race — the arms race
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bulb — for light
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. court — of a king
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. race — humankind
  16. court — of law
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — a contest
  19. bulb — for light
  20. court — for sport
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cabinet — ministers

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