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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitch — completely
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. dip — to sink
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. field — for sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bulb — for light

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