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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. net — in sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. charge — a price
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. charge — in control
  14. field — for sport
  15. game — wild animals
  16. net — after costs
  17. tear — from crying
  18. game — a match
  19. charge — electricity
  20. field — farmland
  21. track — a song
  22. craft — a skill
  23. net — for catching
  24. field — a subject

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