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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — farmland
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. file — a document
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. field — a subject
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. press — newspapers
  17. court — for sport
  18. file — a tool
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. press — to push
  21. court — of law
  22. file — a line of people
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fan — to cool the air

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