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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. degree — an amount
  5. field — a subject
  6. kick — in football
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. present — the time now
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — shares
  12. present — there
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. field — for sport
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stock — goods
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. branch — a division
  21. march — the month
  22. field — farmland
  23. degree — from a university
  24. present — a gift

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