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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. march — music
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. clip — a video
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. charge — a price
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stand — to bear
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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