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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. face — part of the head
  8. staff — employees
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stock — goods
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. staff — employees
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stock — shares
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. foot — the bottom

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