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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bulb — for light
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. swing — to play on
  11. last — finally
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — final
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. field — a subject
  19. bulb — for light
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. last — to go on
  23. swing — music
  24. sharp — exactly

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