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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stock — shares
  3. bulb — for light
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. object — a thing
  11. court — of a king
  12. spell — magic
  13. stock — goods
  14. court — for sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. object — to protest
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spell — a short time
  22. object — an aim
  23. spell — letters
  24. court — of law

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