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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — for sport
  3. march — music
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mate — a partner
  10. field — farmland
  11. march — the month
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pop — soda
  14. mate — to breed
  15. firm — decided
  16. mate — a friend
  17. field — a subject
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — music
  20. field — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — steady
  24. court — of law

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