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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. club — a group
  3. drill — the tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. march — music
  7. drill — army training
  8. club — for dancing
  9. deal — to handle
  10. staff — employees
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. march — the month
  13. drill — a practice
  14. march — the month
  15. field — for sport
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. field — farmland
  23. club — for golf
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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