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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rush — hurry
  3. net — in sport
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. net — after costs
  13. band — a music group
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. net — for catching
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bulb — for light
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stock — goods
  24. cell — a phone

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