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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stock — goods
  5. bass — low music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bound — tied together
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bass — the fish
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. key — the most important part
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. land — a country
  24. bass — the instrument

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