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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. firm — steady
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. perch — the fish
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. firm — decided
  12. stock — goods
  13. bulb — for light
  14. band — a ring
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stock — shares
  18. capital — money
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. band — a music group
  21. firm — a company
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. game — wild animals

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