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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. march — the month
  3. field — a subject
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. march — the month
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pass — a permit
  8. swing — in golf
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rash — a series
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. swing — music
  14. field — farmland
  15. march — music
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. spell — letters
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. field — for sport
  24. spell — magic

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