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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bulb — for light
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. field — farmland
  6. content — happy
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. field — for sport
  15. ball — a dance
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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