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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. can — a tin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. foot — a measure
  5. net — in sport
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. can — a tin
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. field — farmland
  11. court — of a king
  12. squash — the sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. squash — to crush
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. net — after costs
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. field — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. can — to be able to
  22. net — for catching
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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