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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. shower — to wash
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. file — a document
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. file — a tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stock — goods
  15. pop — soda
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bulb — for light
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pass — a permit
  23. shower — rain
  24. pop — music

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