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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. land — a country
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — to come down
  5. content — the amount
  6. ball — a dance
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stock — shares
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pop — music
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stock — goods
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pitch — completely
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. content — happy
  24. pop — to visit

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