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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. field — for sport
  3. drill — army training
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. field — farmland
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. craft — a skill
  11. field — a subject
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. lie — to recline
  15. shower — rain
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pit — in a race
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ball — a great time

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