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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. fine — all right
  5. march — the month
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. march — music
  12. field — farmland
  13. drill — a practice
  14. court — for sport
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. court — of a king
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fine — high quality

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