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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fork — in a road
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hand — help
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. field — farmland
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. march — music
  18. field — a subject
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — in music
  24. march — the month

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