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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. scale — size or range
  8. hand — help
  9. scale — in music
  10. staff — employees
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bulb — for light
  17. firm — a company
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. field — farmland
  24. staff — a stick

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