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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fine — high quality
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stock — goods
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fine — all right
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — shares
  14. pass — a permit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rest — a break
  22. ground — a position
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. ground — the earth

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