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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. field — farmland
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — a subject
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. current — of water
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. current — happening now
  14. lie — to recline
  15. field — for sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — the month
  21. current — electric
  22. march — the month
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — a signal

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