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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cap — of ice
  5. field — a subject
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. object — to protest
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. field — farmland
  11. cap — a hat
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. object — a thing
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. field — for sport
  23. cap — a lid
  24. object — an aim

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