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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. kick — in football
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. tear — to rip
  12. field — a subject
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. tear — from crying
  18. march — music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bowl — to roll

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