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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stock — shares
  3. swing — music
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stock — goods
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. tear — to rip
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. face — part of the head
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. swing — in golf
  15. tear — from crying
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bulb — for light
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. face — to confront
  20. swing — to play on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. tear — from crying

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