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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stock — shares
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bulb — for light
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. net — after costs
  8. capital — money
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bulb — for light
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pop — music
  13. capital — a city
  14. rock — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. scale — in music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stock — goods
  24. rock — to move gently

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