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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — shares
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — for light
  9. vault — a safe
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stock — goods
  13. pass — a permit
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. scale — in music
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pass — to succeed

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