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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. drill — the tool
  9. file — a document
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. drill — army training
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mine — for digging
  18. drill — a practice
  19. file — a tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mate — to breed
  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