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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. season — in sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. season — of the year
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — a subject
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cue — for pool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — for sport

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