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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.

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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fall — the season
  5. stock — goods
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fall — to drop
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fall — to drop
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. bound — certain
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bound — obliged

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