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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 124 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. object — to protest
  3. fall — the season
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stock — shares
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. object — a thing
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stock — goods
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. object — an aim
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pitcher — a jug

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