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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — a country
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. chair — a leader
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stock — goods
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stock — shares

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