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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — ground
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. land — to come down
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. game — wild animals
  8. stock — shares
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. game — a match
  11. stock — goods
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. land — a country
  18. pound — to hit hard

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