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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. field — for sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bulb — for light
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. field — farmland
  12. bass — the fish
  13. degree — temperature
  14. prune — to trim
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitch — completely
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bulb — for light

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