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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mug — to rob
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. fall — to drop
  6. field — for sport
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. club — a group
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. club — for dancing
  12. field — a subject
  13. fall — the season
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mug — a cup
  16. march — the month
  17. pass — a permit
  18. field — farmland
  19. club — for golf
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fall — to drop
  22. march — the month
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mug — a face

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