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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. field — for sport
  3. kid — child
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. march — the month
  6. present — there
  7. row — a line
  8. present — the time now
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. march — the month
  11. season — in sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. season — of the year
  15. field — a subject
  16. present — a gift
  17. field — farmland
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. kid — to tease
  24. snap — to click

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