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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. field — farmland
  3. wake — a trail
  4. march — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. net — for catching
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. firm — steady
  13. field — a subject
  14. firm — a company
  15. march — the month
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. date — the fruit
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. field — for sport
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. firm — decided
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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