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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 116 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spell — a short time
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — obliged
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. club — for golf
  13. march — the month
  14. deal — to handle
  15. spell — letters
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. field — for sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. club — a group
  22. spell — magic
  23. club — for dancing
  24. march — 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