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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stock — shares
  8. last — to go on
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cap — a lid
  12. last — finally
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — music
  16. last — final
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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