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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of law
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. field — a subject
  8. mug — a face
  9. current — electric
  10. court — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. spring — a coil
  13. object — to protest
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — of water
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. chair — a leader
  19. object — an aim
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. current — happening now
  24. object — a thing

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