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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. field — farmland
  7. court — of a king
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bound — certain
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. press — to push
  13. field — a subject
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bound — obliged
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bound — tied together
  22. press — a publisher
  23. court — for sport
  24. field — for sport

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