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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 · wound · craft · field · court · charge · chair · pop

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. court — of a king
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bulb — for light
  6. craft — boats
  7. court — for sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pop — music
  10. field — farmland
  11. court — of law
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. charge — a price
  14. craft — a skill
  15. charge — in control
  16. field — for sport
  17. charge — electricity
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — a subject
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pop — soda

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