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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bulb — for light
  4. branch — a division
  5. kick — in football
  6. march — the month
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. key — in music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. content — the amount
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. field — for sport
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. field — a subject
  18. march — music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. content — happy
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a round shape

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