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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. field — a subject
  5. current — of water
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. march — the month
  8. cell — a phone
  9. field — farmland
  10. present — a gift
  11. march — music
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rest — what's left
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. current — electric
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — a break
  19. current — happening now
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — for sport

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