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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. field — for sport
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. degree — temperature
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — a subject
  10. court — of law
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. field — farmland
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. court — of a king
  16. bass — low music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fine — all right
  20. degree — from a university
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bulb — for light
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. leaves — of a tree

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