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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 116 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. sharp — clever
  4. face — to point toward
  5. staff — employees
  6. track — a song
  7. staff — employees
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stock — goods
  12. track — a path
  13. season — of the year
  14. court — of law
  15. season — in sport
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. face — to confront
  18. staff — a stick
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. track — to keep track
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stock — shares

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