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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
468
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: racket · rest · court · bulb · spring · field · file · suit

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. court — of a king
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — to fit
  13. field — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. field — a subject
  16. file — a document
  17. suit — clothes
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. file — a line of people
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — the season
  22. rest — a break
  23. spring — of water
  24. field — farmland

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