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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bulb — for light
  3. roll — a cake
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. degree — temperature
  9. stock — shares
  10. roll — a list
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lie — to recline
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitch — completely
  21. degree — from a university
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stock — a soup base

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