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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bulb — for light
  3. net — in sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. court — for sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. spell — letters
  9. court — of a king
  10. field — a subject
  11. court — of law
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. field — for sport
  15. board — a committee
  16. spell — magic
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light

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