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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. field — for sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. firm — a company
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chair — a leader
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. firm — decided
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. field — farmland
  21. firm — steady
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. field — a subject

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