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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. cue — a hint
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cue — for pool
  6. file — a document
  7. bulb — for light
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. band — a music group
  13. file — a tool
  14. field — farmland
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bound — certain
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bound — tied together
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rock — to move gently

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