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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. row — a line
  3. fall — the season
  4. field — farmland
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bound — certain
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pop — music
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pop — soda
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bound — obliged
  18. field — a subject
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. stand — to bear
  23. field — for sport
  24. row — to paddle

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