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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stock — shares
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. stock — goods
  8. wound — an injury
  9. track — a song
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. field — a subject
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wound — an injury
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. track — a path
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lash — to lash out

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