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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · fork · march · game · snap · bay · ball · field

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. field — a subject
  7. march — the month
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. ball — a dance
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. march — music
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. march — the month
  21. field — farmland
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. fork — to eat with

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