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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rash — hasty
  3. march — the month
  4. field — a subject
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. dip — to sink
  7. swing — music
  8. ball — a great time
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. swing — in golf
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bank — for money
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. field — farmland
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bank — of a river
  17. field — for sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bank — for money
  21. rash — a series
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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