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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pop — music
  3. stock — shares
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bulb — for light
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mine — for digging
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pop — soda
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stock — goods
  24. wake — before a funeral

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