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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bear — the animal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. chest — a box
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. clip — a video
  9. stock — shares
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stock — goods
  15. chest — of your body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. race — a contest
  18. rash — a series
  19. game — a match
  20. chest — of your body
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rash — hasty

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