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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 120 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: rash · bulb · ruler · bat · chair · hide · chip · spell

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. spell — letters
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chip — to eat
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — a series
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chip — for betting
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spell — magic
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hide — animal skin

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