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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. field — farmland
  4. press — to push
  5. date — the fruit
  6. press — a publisher
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. court — of law
  9. field — a subject
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. field — for sport
  14. court — for sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bulb — for light
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. key — in music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. press — newspapers

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