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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. present — a gift
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ball — a great time
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — for sport
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mate — a friend
  12. field — farmland
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. present — the time now
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mate — a partner
  17. capital — a city
  18. field — a subject
  19. mate — to breed
  20. march — the month
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. capital — money
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. present — there

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