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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. season — of the year
  5. capital — a city
  6. bass — the fish
  7. season — in sport
  8. capital — money
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. field — farmland
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bass — low music
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — a subject
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cell — in biology

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