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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rock — music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. march — the month
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rest — what's left
  7. field — for sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. field — a subject
  11. march — the month
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rest — a break
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. march — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. field — farmland
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rest — what's left

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