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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. firm — decided
  3. march — music
  4. field — farmland
  5. march — the month
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. tube — a container
  9. bass — low music
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. game — wild animals
  17. field — for sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. march — the month
  21. field — a subject
  22. game — a match
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. game — a kind of play

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