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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bass — low music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. rash — a series
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stand — to bear
  24. club — for golf

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