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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. field — farmland
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — of the year
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. chest — a box
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. board — to get on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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