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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rock — music
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bulb — for light
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bulb — for light
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. board — a committee
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. board — to get on
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wind — moving air

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