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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. degree — from a university
  7. row — a line
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lie — to recline
  12. key — in music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. key — for a lock
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bulb — for light
  24. degree — temperature

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