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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. field — a subject
  3. suit — to fit
  4. row — a line
  5. suit — clothes
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — to paddle
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. field — for sport
  18. plane — a tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bulb — of a plant

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