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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. band — a music group
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. march — music
  7. field — for sport
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. field — farmland
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. march — the month
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. band — a ring
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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