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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. stock — goods
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. spell — magic
  5. clip — a video
  6. spell — letters
  7. root — of a plant
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. root — of a word
  11. clip — for paper
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. game — a match
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stock — shares
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. root — the cause

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