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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fine — all right
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bulb — for light
  6. land — to come down
  7. net — for catching
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. squash — the sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. fine — high quality
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wind — moving air
  15. net — in sport
  16. stock — shares
  17. wind — moving air
  18. land — ground
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bound — certain
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stock — goods
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bound — obliged

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