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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. track — a song
  3. content — happy
  4. field — for sport
  5. track — a path
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. ball — a great time
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. club — for golf
  12. bass — low music
  13. march — music
  14. content — the amount
  15. field — a subject
  16. march — the month
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. field — farmland
  19. club — a group
  20. bass — the fish
  21. track — to keep track
  22. march — the month
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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