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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. march — music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. object — to protest
  5. ball — a great time
  6. game — a match
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. object — a thing
  10. present — there
  11. game — wild animals
  12. season — in sport
  13. object — an aim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. field — farmland
  17. ball — a dance
  18. field — for sport
  19. present — the time now
  20. season — of the year
  21. march — the month
  22. present — a gift
  23. march — the month
  24. field — a subject

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