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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  2. field — a subject
  3. present — there
  4. spell — letters
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — a short time
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mug — to rob
  9. suit — in cards
  10. roll — a list
  11. spell — magic
  12. march — music
  13. suit — clothes
  14. row — a line
  15. suit — to fit
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mug — a face
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. present — the time now
  20. march — the month
  21. mug — a cup
  22. field — farmland
  23. roll — a cake
  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