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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. file — a document
  3. present — a gift
  4. object — to protest
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. field — farmland
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. game — a match
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitch — completely

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