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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. stock — goods
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stock — shares
  6. present — there
  7. wound — an injury
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — rain
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. march — music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wound — an injury
  18. present — a gift
  19. lie — to recline
  20. present — the time now
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — a jug

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