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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. field — for sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — a subject
  10. march — music
  11. snap — to click
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — farmland
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. row — a line
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pass — a permit
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fan — to cool the 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