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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. staff — employees
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. staff — employees
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. march — the month
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — music
  22. field — a subject
  23. staff — a stick
  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