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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mug — a face
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. march — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. field — farmland
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. field — for sport
  15. mark — a grade
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a cup
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. march — the month
  20. field — a subject
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mug — to rob
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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