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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. chair — to sit on
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. stock — shares
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stock — goods
  23. perch — for a bird
  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