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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. march — music
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bass — the fish
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stand — to bear
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. field — farmland
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ball — a dance
  18. field — a subject
  19. tube — a container
  20. march — the month
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — the underground
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a round shape

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