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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. field — farmland
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. field — a subject
  7. mug — to rob
  8. degree — from a university
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mug — a face
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. branch — a division
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. degree — an amount
  18. game — a match
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mug — a cup
  22. field — for sport
  23. spell — a short time
  24. march — the month

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