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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. present — the time now
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. present — a gift
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rule — a law
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stock — goods
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. present — there
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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