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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. net — for catching
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bulb — for light
  8. net — after costs
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — a position
  12. stock — shares
  13. net — in sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ground — crushed
  16. march — music
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stock — goods
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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