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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. suit — in cards
  3. kick — in football
  4. ground — the earth
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stock — goods
  8. field — a subject
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. stock — shares
  13. field — farmland
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cell — a phone
  19. field — for sport
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bulb — for light
  22. suit — clothes
  23. ground — a position
  24. kick — with a leg

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