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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stock — goods
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bulb — for light
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stock — shares
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bound — certain
  11. present — a gift
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. chest — a box
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bound — obliged
  19. key — in music
  20. game — a match
  21. present — there
  22. chest — of your body
  23. present — the time now
  24. game — a kind of play

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