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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stock — goods
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stand — to bear
  10. content — happy
  11. field — farmland
  12. clip — to cut
  13. field — a subject
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stock — shares
  20. content — the amount
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. field — for sport
  24. mate — to breed

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