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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mine — for digging
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — thin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lean — to rest against

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