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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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. arm — part of the body
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wind — moving air
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitch — completely
  19. field — farmland
  20. bound — certain
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bound — obliged
  23. march — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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