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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: sharp · last · bowl · mug · rock · field · court · bulb

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rock — music
  3. field — a subject
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. last — final
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. field — farmland
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mug — a cup
  18. court — of law
  19. rock — a stone
  20. field — for sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — to rob
  23. last — to go on
  24. mug — a face

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