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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — to point toward
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. face — part of the head
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. staff — a stick
  10. kick — in football
  11. face — to confront
  12. mate — a friend
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. game — a match
  16. staff — employees
  17. net — for catching
  18. mate — a partner
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — shares
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mate — to breed
  23. stock — goods
  24. bulb — for light

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