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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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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 · cap · kid · chair · temple · stand · field · ball

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bulb — for light
  4. field — a subject
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a lid
  15. chair — a leader
  16. field — farmland
  17. kid — child
  18. field — for sport
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cap — a hat
  24. ball — a great time

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