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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. field — farmland
  3. current — of water
  4. band — a ring
  5. current — happening now
  6. club — for golf
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. ball — a dance
  9. field — a subject
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. band — a music group
  18. season — of the year
  19. field — for sport
  20. ball — a great time
  21. season — in sport
  22. club — for dancing
  23. current — electric
  24. ball — a round shape

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