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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wind — moving air
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bulb — for light
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. field — farmland
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pound — a weight
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rash — hasty
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. rash — a series
  24. toast — bread

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