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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. object — to protest
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pound — a weight
  6. row — to paddle
  7. object — a thing
  8. row — a line
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hand — in cards
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. field — a subject
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. field — farmland
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. object — an aim
  24. sharp — clever

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