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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. field — farmland
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bass — low music
  10. object — an aim
  11. field — for sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bulb — for light
  14. field — a subject
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. object — to protest
  24. saw — the tool

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