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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — for light
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — for sport
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. land — ground
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. field — a subject
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. land — a country
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bore — to tire
  22. field — farmland
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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