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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stock — goods
  6. charge — a price
  7. stock — shares
  8. cold — not warm
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cold — an illness
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bulb — for light
  17. object — a thing
  18. charge — in control
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. charge — electricity

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