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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mate — to breed
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. march — music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. content — happy
  10. fall — the season
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mate — a partner
  14. content — the amount
  15. fall — to drop
  16. march — the month
  17. field — a subject
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — in control
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fall — to drop
  23. field — farmland
  24. trunk — of a car

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