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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 120 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: stick · march · court · field · saw · cabinet · season · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. court — for sport
  3. season — in sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. saw — the tool
  10. march — the month
  11. field — for sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — a subject
  17. march — music
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. field — farmland
  21. saw — the tool
  22. march — the month
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. season — of the year

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