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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. snap — to click
  5. bulb — for light
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bound — tied together
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. track — a song
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stock — shares
  12. track — a path
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stock — goods
  16. bound — obliged
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bound — certain
  20. spell — letters
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bulb — of a plant

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