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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. field — a subject
  6. cap — a hat
  7. march — music
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. field — for sport
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cap — of ice
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. firm — a company
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. field — farmland

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