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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. can — a tin
  9. field — for sport
  10. rash — hasty
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. can — to be able to
  13. hand — help
  14. can — a tin
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. bulb — of a plant

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