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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: mouse · pass · foot · jam · kid · field · bulb · ball

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. kid — child
  11. field — farmland
  12. ball — a dance
  13. kid — to tease
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ball — a great time
  16. field — a subject
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pass — a permit
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pass — to spend 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