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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. object — a thing
  3. perch — the fish
  4. field — a subject
  5. object — to protest
  6. can — to be able to
  7. capital — a city
  8. court — of law
  9. bulb — for light
  10. field — for sport
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. object — an aim
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. court — for sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. capital — money
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. court — of a king

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