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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — goods
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — a partner
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stock — shares
  16. sharp — clever
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rest — a break
  24. sharp — with an edge

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