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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stock — shares
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pit — in a race
  6. net — after costs
  7. sharp — clever
  8. spell — a short time
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. net — in sport
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stock — goods
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. net — for catching
  20. fine — all right
  21. spell — letters
  22. pit — a hole
  23. game — a match
  24. bulb — for light

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