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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bound — obliged
  3. net — after costs
  4. march — the month
  5. field — a subject
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — farmland
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. march — music
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. field — for sport
  18. march — the month

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