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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: court · cap · rash · cue · file · bulb · field · scale

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — a subject
  5. cue — a signal
  6. file — a document
  7. cue — a hint
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. field — farmland
  10. court — for sport
  11. file — a tool
  12. cap — a hat
  13. scale — in music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cap — of ice
  18. scale — size or range
  19. court — of a king
  20. rash — a series
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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