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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bulb — for light
  4. club — for golf
  5. bass — low music
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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