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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. march — the month
  3. court — of a king
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pop — soda
  8. season — of the year
  9. march — the month
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. court — of law
  13. march — music
  14. season — in sport
  15. court — for sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. field — for sport
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. field — a subject
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pop — music

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