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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. field — farmland
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a great time
  8. field — a subject
  9. squash — to crush
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. board — a committee
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a music group
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. board — to get on
  23. march — music
  24. band — a ring

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