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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ball — a dance
  7. face — to confront
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitch — completely
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — in music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wind — moving air

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