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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — government
  3. field — farmland
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. field — for sport
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. scale — in music
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stock — goods
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stock — shares
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bulb — for light
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — a subject
  23. rule — a law
  24. arm — a part of something

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