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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rash — a series
  6. present — there
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bulb — for light
  11. club — for dancing
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. march — music
  14. club — for golf
  15. field — a subject
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. present — a gift
  19. foot — a measure
  20. scale — size or range
  21. club — a group
  22. field — farmland
  23. scale — in music
  24. present — the time now

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