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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. chip — for betting
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. clip — a video
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. last — finally
  12. cue — for pool
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cue — a signal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. last — final
  19. cue — a hint
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — to go on
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stock — goods
  24. lean — thin

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