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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. march — the month
  3. field — a subject
  4. court — of a king
  5. march — the month
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. stand — to bear
  8. court — of law
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. fork — in a road
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. march — music
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wave — of the sea

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