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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. charge — in control
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stock — shares
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. swing — music
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. last — to go on
  17. bulb — for light
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. swing — to play on
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. stock — goods
  24. bulb — for light

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