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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 116 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. stock — shares
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. scale — in music
  6. row — a line
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. scale — size or range
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. field — farmland
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. row — to paddle
  14. field — a subject
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — for sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. coach — a trainer

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