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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mark — a trace
  3. clip — for paper
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — farmland
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. field — a subject
  12. march — the month
  13. clip — a video
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. march — music
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. clip — to cut
  20. foot — a measure
  21. field — for sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mark — a grade
  24. foot — part of the body

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