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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. court — of a king
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. track — a song
  6. clip — to cut
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stock — shares
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. court — of law
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — for sport
  20. track — to keep track
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bass — low music
  23. clip — a video
  24. track — a path

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