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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. field — a subject
  3. march — music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. court — of law
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. vault — a safe
  10. ball — a great time
  11. march — the month
  12. field — farmland
  13. court — of a king
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. field — for sport
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — for sport
  20. sharp — clever
  21. season — of the year
  22. ball — a dance
  23. march — the month
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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