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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. court — of a king
  3. tube — a container
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — for sport
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. charge — in control
  12. field — farmland
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — the underground
  15. court — of law
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bulb — for light
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. charge — electricity
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. field — a subject
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. charge — a price

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