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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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. tube — in a tire
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. field — for sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. march — the month
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. tube — the underground
  13. march — music
  14. field — farmland
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — with your hand

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