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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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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. field — farmland
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. field — for sport
  6. march — music
  7. stand — to bear
  8. club — for golf
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mug — a cup
  12. club — a group
  13. field — a subject
  14. march — the month
  15. mug — a face
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. march — the month
  18. mug — to rob

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