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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fine — high quality
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. charge — a price
  6. mark — a trace
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fine — all right
  10. stock — shares
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stock — goods
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. race — humankind
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. charge — in control
  19. mine — for digging
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — belonging to me

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