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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. march — the month
  3. field — a subject
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. field — for sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. march — music
  11. fork — in a road
  12. field — farmland
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. present — the time now
  16. land — a country
  17. present — a gift
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. present — there
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. march — the month
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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