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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. field — farmland
  5. tear — from crying
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. club — for golf
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. scale — in music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. club — a group
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. field — a subject
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cap — a hat
  23. field — for sport
  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