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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. squash — to crush
  6. field — for sport
  7. bank — of a river
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. march — the month
  10. field — farmland
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. track — a song
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. squash — the sport
  15. march — the month
  16. clip — to cut
  17. track — to keep track
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. track — a path
  20. bank — for money
  21. march — music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bank — for money

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