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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. march — music
  3. field — farmland
  4. date — the fruit
  5. field — for sport
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. march — the month
  14. cap — a hat
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cap — a lid

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