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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 116 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rest — what's left
  3. field — a subject
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rock — a stone
  6. scale — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rock — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — for sport
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. field — farmland
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rest — a break
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. scale — size or range

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