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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bulb — for light
  3. field — for sport
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. scale — size or range
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. club — for golf
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. chest — of your body
  13. field — farmland
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. scale — in music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. chest — a box
  22. bulb — for light
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. key — for a lock

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