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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bass — the fish
  4. march — music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. field — a subject
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. field — farmland
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. march — the month
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. march — the month
  17. stand — to bear
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wax — to grow
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bass — low music
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pitch — a sports field

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