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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. field — for sport
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. lean — thin
  9. track — a path
  10. current — happening now
  11. mark — a grade
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. track — to keep track
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. chair — a leader
  17. current — electric
  18. march — the month
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. track — a song
  21. current — of water
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mark — a trace

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