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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 120 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. track — a path
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. march — the month
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. current — happening now
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bat — the animal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. current — of water
  19. track — a song
  20. march — music
  21. current — electric
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. field — farmland
  24. march — the month

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