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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. game — a match
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. field — for sport
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. field — a subject
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. key — in music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. key — the most important part
  24. 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