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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: fine · scale · court · field · bulb · file · content · saw

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. field — for sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. field — farmland
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fine — high quality
  7. file — a document
  8. scale — in music
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bulb — for light
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. content — happy
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. file — a tool
  20. scale — size or range
  21. field — a subject
  22. content — the amount
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. saw — the tool

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