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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bulb — for light
  6. field — for sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. field — a subject
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — to breed
  14. field — farmland
  15. mate — a friend
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. scale — size or range
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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