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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. march — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bank — of a river
  8. club — for golf
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bank — for money
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. chest — of your body
  15. club — a group
  16. bank — for money
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. ball — a great time
  23. march — the month
  24. club — for dancing

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