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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. field — a subject
  3. object — an aim
  4. ball — a dance
  5. object — to protest
  6. march — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. object — a thing
  13. march — the month
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. drill — the tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. ball — a great time
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. drill — army training
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. field — farmland
  24. drill — a practice

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