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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — to come down
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — a position
  6. march — music
  7. land — ground
  8. charge — electricity
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. march — the month
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. charge — a price
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. march — the month
  21. charge — in control
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stock — shares
  24. land — a country

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