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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. spring — of water
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stock — goods
  13. rash — a series
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rash — hasty
  17. object — an aim
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. object — to protest
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spring — a coil
  24. 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