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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. march — music
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. club — a group
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. march — the month
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. field — farmland
  15. mug — a face
  16. club — for golf
  17. march — the month
  18. field — for sport
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. snap — to click
  22. field — a subject
  23. drill — army training
  24. club — for dancing

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