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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stock — shares
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. season — of the year
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bass — the fish
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cold — not warm
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. season — in sport
  18. bass — low music
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. stock — goods
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. stock — a soup base

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