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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fine — high quality
  3. can — a tin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. prune — to trim
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitch — completely
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. prune — to trim
  11. can — a tin
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. field — farmland
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fine — all right
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. field — a subject
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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