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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · field · court · board · scale · spell · bulb · lash

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bulb — for light
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bulb — for light
  5. scale — size or range
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. board — to get on
  9. spell — a short time
  10. scale — in music
  11. field — for sport
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. court — of law
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. sharp — clever
  19. spell — magic
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. board — a committee

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