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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bulb — for light
  3. field — farmland
  4. object — a thing
  5. firm — steady
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. file — a line of people
  8. field — for sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pop — music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. file — a document
  13. band — a ring
  14. field — a subject
  15. pop — to visit
  16. object — an aim
  17. file — a tool
  18. pop — soda
  19. object — to protest
  20. band — a music group
  21. firm — a company
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. band — a rubber band

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