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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. bulb — for light
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. craft — boats
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. kick — in football
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bat — the animal
  19. field — for sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rash — a series
  24. rock — music

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