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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pop — music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. field — for sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — ground
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pop — soda
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — a country
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. field — a subject
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. land — to come down
  22. cap — a hat
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. field — farmland

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