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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 124 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 locked up in a ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — goods
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pound — a weight
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stock — shares
  19. cell — a phone
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. ball — a dance
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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