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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · bay · lash · march · cap · field · bulb · court

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bulb — for light
  4. march — music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. court — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. march — the month
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. march — the month
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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