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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. field — for sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. field — a subject
  10. staff — a stick
  11. face — to confront
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. face — part of the head
  14. field — farmland
  15. swing — in golf
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mark — a trace
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. swing — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — music

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