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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. file — a tool
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. spring — a coil
  5. track — a song
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. track — a path
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — the season
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. file — a line of people
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stock — goods
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. file — a document
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spring — of water
  24. pitch — a sports field

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