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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. march — the month
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — there
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. present — a gift
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. key — for a lock
  13. drill — army training
  14. chip — to eat
  15. march — music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. drill — a practice
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. present — the time now
  21. field — for sport
  22. chip — for betting
  23. march — the month
  24. drill — the tool

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