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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 124 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — of law
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bat — the animal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rest — a break
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. hand — help
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rest — what's left
  15. land — to come down
  16. rest — what's left
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. stock — shares
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. land — ground
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. land — a country
  24. hand — in cards

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