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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 116 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. net — for catching
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. press — to push
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bulb — for light
  11. net — after costs
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bound — obliged
  14. net — in sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. stock — shares

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