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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bulb — for light
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. swing — to play on
  5. staff — a stick
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. game — wild animals
  9. tear — from crying
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. swing — music
  14. game — a match
  15. staff — employees
  16. swing — in golf
  17. ground — the earth
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — shares
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ground — a position
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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