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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bark — to shout
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. swing — music
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. hand — help
  14. swing — in golf
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bulb — for light
  17. swing — to play on
  18. key — the most important part
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. key — in music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. key — for a lock
  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