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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. bulb — for light
  4. shower — to wash
  5. field — farmland
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. ground — a position
  8. field — a subject
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. board — a committee
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ground — crushed
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. board — to get on
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. march — music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — for sport

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