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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spell — letters
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. clip — a video
  7. suit — in cards
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stock — goods
  10. sharp — clever
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — magic
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. clip — for paper
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. land — ground
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. land — to come down
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stock — shares

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