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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. key — the most important part
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — soda
  5. drill — a practice
  6. court — of a king
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — of law
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. key — for a lock
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. drill — army training
  15. key — in music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — for sport
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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