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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.

Make a worksheet

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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. field — for sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — music
  5. field — farmland
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. scale — size or range
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mark — a grade
  15. field — a subject
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. march — the month
  22. scale — in music
  23. court — for sport
  24. mark — a trace

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