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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — for sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. season — in sport
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. field — a subject
  10. march — the month
  11. field — farmland
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. march — the month
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rash — a series
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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