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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bark — to shout
  5. season — in sport
  6. present — there
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. present — the time now
  12. staff — employees
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. present — a gift
  15. key — in music
  16. season — of the year
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. stock — shares
  19. key — for a lock
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. bark — of a tree

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