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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pass — a permit
  4. field — a subject
  5. pit — a hole
  6. land — a country
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. march — the month
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. land — ground
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. march — the month
  15. pit — in a race
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. march — music
  20. field — farmland
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. land — to come down
  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