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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. court — of law
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bulb — for light
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stock — shares
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — of a king
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — for sport
  23. suit — to fit
  24. cap — a lid

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