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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pop — soda
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stock — shares
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chair — a leader
  8. hand — help
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. drill — the tool
  19. degree — temperature
  20. drill — army training
  21. pop — to visit
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — music

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