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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. prune — to trim
  3. court — of law
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stock — shares
  7. court — for sport
  8. march — music
  9. cue — a hint
  10. court — of a king
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. stand — to bear
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. march — the month
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stand — on your feet

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