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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stock — shares
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spring — of water
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pit — a hole
  14. stock — goods
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cue — a signal
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cue — for pool
  23. file — a document
  24. board — a committee

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