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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. stock — shares
  7. pop — soda
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pop — music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bulb — for light
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. drill — army training
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pop — to visit
  19. track — a song
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. drill — a practice
  24. leaves — lets stay

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