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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. ground — a position
  6. field — a subject
  7. scale — in music
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. field — farmland
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rest — what's left
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — for sport
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rest — a break
  21. season — of the year
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. scale — for weighing

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