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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. object — to protest
  3. stock — goods
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. bass — the fish
  8. hand — in cards
  9. object — an aim
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bass — low music
  14. object — a thing
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fork — to eat with
  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