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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. ball — a dance
  6. field — farmland
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lie — to recline
  11. field — for sport
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bulb — for light
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. field — a subject
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fan — a supporter

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