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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. court — of law
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stock — goods
  5. present — the time now
  6. court — of a king
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stock — shares
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bulb — for light
  12. season — of the year
  13. present — there
  14. season — in sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. court — for sport
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. season — to add flavour

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