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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. field — farmland
  4. ground — a position
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — a gift
  7. march — music
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rash — a series
  13. cap — of ice
  14. field — a subject
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — for sport
  18. cap — a hat
  19. ground — the earth
  20. present — the time now
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rash — hasty
  24. present — there

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