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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · bulb · stock · shower · wake · cabinet · ball · game

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ball — a dance
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. clip — a video
  7. bulb — for light
  8. game — wild animals
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stock — goods
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. ball — a great time
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. shower — rain
  24. cabinet — ministers

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