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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stock — goods
  4. clip — to cut
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. spell — magic
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. can — a tin
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — in sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stock — shares
  20. spell — a short time
  21. season — of the year
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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