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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. field — a subject
  3. ball — a dance
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. tube — the underground
  7. march — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. march — the month
  12. tube — a container
  13. pop — soda
  14. hand — in cards
  15. field — farmland
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pop — music
  18. hand — help

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