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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. field — a subject
  3. face — to point toward
  4. field — for sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cap — a hat
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pop — to visit
  13. scale — in music
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. field — farmland
  17. face — to confront
  18. scale — size or range
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. face — part of the head
  23. court — of law
  24. temple — side of the head

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