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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. field — for sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. march — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. staff — employees
  8. march — the month
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. game — a match
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. staff — a stick

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