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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. field — for sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. saw — the tool
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. court — for sport
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. row — a line
  22. key — the most important part
  23. row — to paddle
  24. saw — the tool

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