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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bulb — for light
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. club — for dancing
  7. clip — a video
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. club — a group
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. land — ground
  17. stock — goods
  18. season — in sport
  19. stock — shares
  20. clip — to cut
  21. season — of the year
  22. land — to come down
  23. can — a tin
  24. club — for golf

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