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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. club — for golf
  7. face — to confront
  8. chair — a leader
  9. field — a subject
  10. scale — in music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. club — a group
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. scale — size or range
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. face — to point toward
  23. field — for sport
  24. scale — for weighing

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