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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — help
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. field — a subject
  6. pop — soda
  7. spell — magic
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. vault — a safe
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. field — farmland
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. pop — music
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. spell — letters
  24. bowl — to roll

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