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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stand — to bear
  4. march — the month
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. field — farmland
  7. branch — a division
  8. field — a subject
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. deal — to handle
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. field — for sport
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. ground — a position
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. roll — a cake
  21. march — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ground — crushed
  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