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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. last — finally
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. last — final
  9. land — a country
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. bass — the fish
  16. last — to go on
  17. land — ground
  18. hand — help
  19. field — for sport
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. land — to come down
  24. bass — low 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