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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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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: content · court · cabinet · field · mine · last · foot · bulb

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. last — finally
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. last — to go on
  11. field — farmland
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bulb — for light
  15. field — a subject
  16. content — the amount
  17. field — for sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. content — happy
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. last — final
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mine — belonging to me

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