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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cap — a hat
  8. spell — letters
  9. stock — goods
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. charge — a price
  13. spell — magic
  14. cap — of ice
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. spell — a short time
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bulb — for light
  23. charge — in control
  24. cap — a lid

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